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PRINCETON,   N.  J. 

l>  o  IV -A.  m  o  >r     t»ii- 

SAMUEL   AGNE\V, 

OF     PHILADELPHIA,     PA. 


pTiy^L^oy^y&y^^^cS^ 


e<e-, 


BV  665  .T9 

Tydin^s,  Richard,  1783-1865. 

A  refutation  o£  the  doctrine 

o£  uninterrupted  apostolic 


A    REFUTATION 

^  irk 
OF    THE    t)OCTRINE    OF  • 

UNINTERRUPTED  APOSTOLIC 

SUCCESSION, 

WITH     \    CORRECTION    OF    ERRORS 

CONCERNING 

KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY  AND  DR.  COKE. 

^  IN    AXSWER   TO 

.»  THE  Rt:V.  G.  T.  CHAPMAN,  D.  D.,  AND  OTHERS. 


BY  RICHARD  TYDLNGS, 

A  member  of  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference. 

',5! 

TO    WHICH    IS    APPENDED 

A  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  LIFE, 


"  Buy  the  truth  and  sell  it  not." — Scripture. 


t  LOUISVILLE. 

1844.      ,  ■^^.    ♦ 


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^  Copyright  secured  according  to  l&M.. 


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A,   S.    TILDEN,    PRINTER: 

JEFFERSONVILLEj     3Ao 


f  •  -r 


CHAPTERS    I. 

Work  under   review — Tendencies  of  the  Doctrine  of  Successidn — General 
Introductory  Remarks. 

Sometime  about  the  year  1829,  when  stationed  in  the 
city  of  Lexington,  my  attention  was  called  to  a  recent  pub- 
lication,-entitled  "Sermons  upon  the  Ministry,  Worship, 
and  Doctrines  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
other  subjects  ;  by  the  Rev.  G.  T.  Chapman,  D.  D.  Rector 
of  Christ,  Church,"  in  that  city.  In  this  work,  the  Author 
claims  for  himself,  and  his  beloved  "Zion,'  exceedingly  high 
and  imposing  titles  ;  such  as  the  "  Primitive  Apostolic 
Church  ;"  "the  only  true  Church,  or  'Bride'  of  Christ ;"  the 
only  Church  that  has  a  true,  and  properly  authorized  min- 
istry ;  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  excepted. 

These  high  claims,  it  would  appear,  are  set  up  on  the 
obsolete,  and  long  since  exploded  doctrine,  of  uninter- 
rupted Apostolic  Succession ;  which  succession,  the  au- 
thor supposes,  belongs  to  his  church.  In  other  words,  that 
her  ministers  have  received  holy  orders  from  the  Apostles, 
through  a  long  line  of  Popes,  Archbishops,  and  Diocesan 
,  Bishops  ;  which  places  them  in  possession  of  divine  author- 
ity to  minister  in  holy  things.  And  while  he,  from  this  ele- 
vated source  of  authority,  claims  such  "pre-emine  excel- 
lence" for  his  beloved  Zion,  whose  glory  he  would  spread 
on  the  page  of  history  ;  he  bitterly  denounces  the  rest  of 
the  Pjjotestant  Churches  in  this  Country,  as  "spurious  and 
schismatic;"  "the  recent  invention  of  fallible  men;"  .their 
ministers,  as  "usurpers  of  ministerial  authority;"  of  whom 
1 


2  GENERAL  INTRODUCTORY 

he   further  says,  that  they  "serve  only   to   steal  away  ther 
hearts  of  the  people  from  the   true  Bride  of  Christ;"  and 
thus  "give  too  much  reason  to  the  enemy  to  blaspheme,  and  " 
say.  See,  those  Christians  how  they  hate  one  another!" 

As  such  were  the  views  and  sentiments,  of  our  author 
in  relation  to  other  Churches,  we  cannot  wonder  that  he 
more  than  intimates,  that,  in  his  estimation,  they — and 
especially  their  ministers — are  in  danger  of  the  severe,  yet, 
as  he  supposes,  just  judgment  of  God  ;  as  was  manifested 
in  the  case  of  Korah,  Dathan  ,and  Abiram;  or  of  "Uzzah," 
who  with  unsanctified  hands  ventured  to  touch,  with  the 
design  of  supporting,  the  tottering  "Ark  of  God  !" 

Having  been  accustomed  to  be  called /ooZs  and  madmen, 
enthusiasts  and  fanatics,  by  the  men  of  this  world,  who 
are  avowedly  hostile  to  our  holy  religion,  we  look  for  noth- 
ing better  from  them  ;  nay  we  expect  such  things  as  long  as 
the  world  endures,  inasmuch  as  Christ,  our  divine  Lord  and 
master,  hath  said,  "I  have  called  you  out  of  the  world; 
therefore  the  world  hateth  you."  But  we  confess, that  we 
did  not  expect  in  this  enlightened  age,  to  be  anathematized, 
and  denied  so  much  as  a  name  in  the  true  Church  of  Christ, 
by  a  fellow  protestant,  professing  to  be  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  to  preach  the  gospel  of  charity  and  peace  ;  more  es- 
pecially since  he  himself  is  of  yesterday;  and  his  church 
of  much  more  recent  date  than  many  others  in  this  Coun- 
try.  _ 

It  is  true,  that  with  his  many  hard  and  bitter  expressions, 
he  makes  use  of  some  very  gentle  terms  ;  such  as  "other 
Christians,"  "brethren  of  other  Churches,"  love,  union,  &c. 
And,  moreover  he  has  gone  so  far,  in  the  plenitude  of  his 
apostolic  charily,  as  to  intimate,  that  if  while  we  belong  to  the 
churches  of  "recent  date,  and  human  invention,"  we  are 
"governed  by  invincible  ignorance,"  and  have  a  "sincere 
heart  to  obey  God's  word,"  we  may  peradventure  "get  to 


REMARKS  3 

■heaven"  at  last ;  and,  astonishing  to  tell !  he  hopes  to  meet 
many  of  us  there  after  all. 

This  intermingling  of  a  few  soft,  with  the  many  hard  aiid 
bitter  expressions  ,may  serve  to  hide. from  the  superficial 
observer,  the  real  feelings  and  sentiments  of  the  author,  con- 
cerning many  of  the  best,  and  most  useful,  branches  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Nay  it  may  apparently,  justify  his 
friends,  in  their  admiration  of  his  supposed  moderation  and 
forbearance.  But  to  the  intelligent,  discriminating,  and  can- 
did reader,  it  only  serves  U  demonstrate  the  unpleasant 
truth,  that— even  in  this  age  of  gospel  light  and  liberty- 
there  may  exist  under  the  fairest  professions  of  Charity,  the 
same  spirit  that  actuated  the  sincere,  but  deluded  apostles, 
when  they  said — "Master  we  saw  one  casting  out  devils  in 
thy  name  and  we  forbade  him,  because  he  followeth  not 
with  us."  They,  no  doubt,  expected  by  thus  expressing 
their  zeal  for  their  divine  master,  to  receive  his  kindest  ap- 
probation ;  instead  of  which  he  uttered  his  positive  rebuke, 
"Forbid  them  not." 

About  thirtyfive  years  ago,  for  the  first  time,  our  attention 
was  called  to  the  doctrine  of  succession  by  a  controversy 
which  arose  on  that  subject  in  the  City  of  Annapolis,  Ma- 
ryland. And  we  must  confess,  that  from  that  time,  we 
have  viewed  it  as  one  of  the  most  artful  and  detestable,  in- 
ventions of  Popery;  gotten  up  in  the  darkest  ages  of  the 
church,  with  the  design  to. support  the  over-grown,  and  un- 
godly domination  of  the  Roman  Pontiffs,  over  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  men;  and  that  this  was  so  evident  to  all 
men,  that  no  o;ie,  in  this  day,  could  possibly  be  injured 
thereby.  Indeed  one  would  think  that  at  this  time,  and  in 
this  heavenf-avoured  Country,  even  a  Papist  v/ould  blush  to 
introduce  such  glaring  absurdity.  For  it  is  well  known, 
that  the  Roman  Church  herself  stands  divided  on  the  ques- 
tion ;  having  three  calendars,  differing  at  the  very  thres- 
hold, concerning  the  successor  of  Peter. 


4  GENERAL  INTRODUCTORY 

At  one  time  there  were  elected  as  many  as  five  Popes  ; 
at  two  different  times,  as  many  as  three;  some  of  whom 
contended,  sword  in  hand,  for  the  Papal  Chair,  until  one — 
a  more  successful  general  than  the  rest — victoriously  seiz- 
ed the  triple  Crown,  and  mounted  the  chair  of  state;  while 
one  of  the  vanquished  Popes  set  up  for  himself,  and  exer- 
cised the  functions  of  his  office  in  a  strange  and  distant 
land — Peter's  chair  at  Rome  to  the  contrary  notwithstand- 
ing !  Now,  may  it  not  be  asked.  Who,  among  the  strong- 
est pretenders  to  Apostolic  succession,  can  pretend  to  tell 
which  of  these  was  the  true  Pope  ?  or  from  whose  ordina- 
tions, the  true  Bishops  have  descended  ?  Most  certainly 
there  must  be  some  spurious  line  of  succession;  and  if  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  has  any  part  in  either,  may 
she  not — for  all  she  or  any  ons  else,  knows — be  in  the 
spurious  one  ?  Indeed,  such  is  the  uncertainty  that  rests 
upon  the  whole  matter,  that  no  one  can  trace  any  line; 
which  is  evident,  from  the  fact,  that  Eusebius,  the  father 
of  Ecclesiastical  History,  could  not,  in  the  third  century — 
although  he  intended  and  strove  to  do  so — designate  with 
any  certainty,  the  immediate  successors  of  the  Apostles. 

In  writing  on  this  subject,  it  will  be  necessary  to  depend, 
in  a  good  degree,  on  testimony  from  friends  and  foes;  for, 
in  this  way  alone,  can  the  subject  be  fairly  and  fully  decided. 
And  although  we  have  not  examined  as  many  ancient  or 
modern  authors  as  we  might  have  done,  we  hav^  attained 
to  the  knowledge  of  one'^remaikable  fact;  i.  e.,  that  wher- 
ever this  doctrine  has  prevailed,  bigotry,  persecution  and 
death,  in  their  most  horrid  forms,  have  been  its  constant 
and  invariable  concomitants.  And  this,  at  once,  gives  it' 
the  most  fearful  and  forbidding  aspect. 

The  Catholics,  in  the  sixteenth  century — as  well  as  pre- 
vious to  that  time — from  the  high  pretensions  of  apostolic 
authorityi  denounced  the  reformers  as  heretics  and  schis- 
jnatics;  out  of  the  pale  of  the  church,  and  in  the  high  road 


REMARKS  5 

to  damnation.  And  all  this,  forsooth,  because  they  dared 
to  exercise  the  liberty  of  conscience  in  dissenting  from 
them.  The  reigning  Pope — like  a  true  successor — thun- 
dered forth  his  anathemas  ;  which,  wherever  he  could  wield 
the  secular  arm,  were  made  to  work  the  most  horrid  and 
deadly  effects.  Menj  women,*  and  children  were  burnt, 
and  otherwise  massacred,  in  the  most  horrid  and  relentless 
manner. 

All  this,  however,  is  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  Church 
of  Rome.  But  who  could  have  supposed  that  Protestants 
themselves,  could  ever  have  been  guilty  of  the  like  horrid 
crimes  against  their  fellow  Christians  ?  especially  when  it 
is  well  known,  that,  at  the  commencement  of  the  reforma- 
tion, they  abhorred  and  cast  from  them;  those  popish  errors 
and  superstitions  which  were  calculated  to  lead  to  such 
results.  After  the  lapse  of  some  years,  however,  the  Church 
of  Er^gland  presumed  to  claim  the  high  authority  of  apos- 
tolic succession  ;  and,  under  its  baneful  influence — to  her 
shame  must  it  be  spoken — like  blood-thirsty  Rome,  she 
persecuted,  to  prison  and  to  death,  many  of  the  Puritans; 
who  were  among  the  most  pious  and  devoted  of  God's  dear 
children. 

It  was  on  this  account,  that  many  of  our  forefathers,  who 
had,  through  the  mercy  of  God,  escaped  the  bloody  fangs  of 
persecution,  left  their  homes  and  native  land,  to  seek  refuge 
in  the  wilds  of  America,  where  thev  might  erect  their  ban- 
ner and  worship  God  according  to  tne  dictates  of  their  own 
conscience.  And  who,  that  now  possesses  the  heart  of  a 
true  American,  can  fail  to  rejoice  in  the  reflection,  that  here, 
they  and  their  children  have  more  than  realized  their  most 
sanguine  expectations  ?  Never  has  that  beautiful  portion  of 
God's  Word,  *'The  wilderness  and  solitary  place  shall  be 
glad  for  them,  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as 


6  GENERAL  INTRODUCTORY 

the  rose,"  been  more  perfectly  fulfilled  than  in  reference  to 
the  Pilgrim  Fathers. 

And  even  now,  in  this  land  of  light  and  liberty,  and  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  when  letters,  science,  and  religion, 
are  spreading  their  benign  influence  over  the  hearts  and  con« 
sciences  of  men,  more  freely,  perhaps,  than  in  any  former 
period  of  (he  world,  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  pre- 
sumes to  claim  uninterrupted  apostolic  succession  ;  thereby 
intending  to  exalt  herself  above  every  other  branch  of  the 
Christian  Church.  And,  as  this  proud  claim,  in  the  Church 
of  England — as  well  as  that  of  Rome — has  been  advanced 
and  sustained  by  "fire-brands,  arrows,  and  death,"  what 
€Ould  we  expect,  if  she  had  the  power  to  enforce  her  dread 
denunciations?  Might  we  not  justly  conclude,  that  she,  too 
— did  we  not  soon  bow  obsequious  to  her  pretended  apos- 
tolic mandates — would  not  only  deny  us  a  name  among  the 
churches,  but,  after  anathamatizingus  as  heretics  and  schis- 
matics, sweep  us,  as  with  the  besom  of  destruction,  from 
the  face  of  the  earth?  Suiely  (he  same  cause  would  pro. 
duce  the  same  effects,  when  permitted  to  act  without  re- 
straint. 

This  may,  at  first  sight,  appear  somewhat  censorious. 
But  do  we  not  find  the  author  whose  work  is  before  us, 
under  the  influence  of  this  doctrine,  not  only  denouncing  all 
the  Protestant  churches  except  his  own,  but  also  grossly 
misrepresenting  the  much  beloved  John  Wesley  and  Dr. 
Coke,  in  reference  to  ^he  organization  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  this  country  ?  evidently  designing, 
thereby,  to  invalidate  the  authority  of  her  ministry,  and  to 
place  her  among  the  churches  "  of  recent  date  and  human 
inventions."  And,  as  this  has  been  done  by  an  attempt  to 
tarnish,  as  far  as  possible,  the  fair  reputation  of  the  honor- 
able dead,  what  might  we  not  expect  from  an  unrestrained 
exercise  of  the  same  principle  ?     But  it  is  too  late.     Joha 


REMARKS  7 

Wesley  and  Dr.  Coke  have  a  name  and  place  in  the  hearts 
and  affections  of  mankind.  And  that  name  and  place  they 
will  retain,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  injure  the  one  or  remove 
them  from  the  other.  It  is  also  too  late  in  reference  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ;  for  it  is  now  well  known,  and 
almost  universally  acknowledged,  that  her  foundation  is  the 
"  Rock  of  Ages,"  and  her  defence  is  **  the  munition  of 
Rocks  ;"  her  ministry  duly  authorized,  and  sent  forth  by  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest;  the  sound  of  their  Master's  feet  be- 
hind them  ;  and  in  his  name  they  do  valiantly. 

But,  after  all  the  high  pretensions  and  bitter  denuncia- 
tions of  Dr.  Chapman,  with  the  glaring  misrepresentations 
of  Wesley  and  Coke,  such  are  our  views  of  the  imbecility 
and  absurdity  of  the  Doctrine  of  Succession,  that,  had  it  not 
been  for  a  development  of  its  mischievous  and  injurious 
effects,  in  the  secession  of  an  old  and  highly  esteemed 
friend,  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  the  city  of 
Lexington,  soon  after  the  appearance  of  the  Dr's  book  of 
sermons,  it  might  have  sluiTibered — so  far  as  we  were 
concerned — in  its  own  native  darkness  and  confusion,  till 
the  judgment  of  the  great  day.  But  this  painful  circum- 
stance first  awakened  in  us  a  determination  to  give  the  sub- 
ject a  thorough  investigation  ;  of  which  the  present  volume 
is  the  result.  And,  in  the  course  of  this  work,  we  intend  to 
consider  the  views  of  Dr.  C.  in  reference  to  the  Church  and 
Ministry  of  Christ ;  as  well  as  his  misrepresentations  of  Mr. 
Wesley  and  Dr.  Coke.  But  our  main  object  has  been,  to 
show,  that  the  Pjotestant  Episcopal  Church  neither  has  nor 
can  have,  any  true  claim  to  the  apostolic  succession;  since 
the  Church  of  England  has  no  proper  or  legal  claim  to  Cath- 
olic consecration,  through  which  it  is  claimed.  And  that, 
even  if  she  had,  it  would  be  of  no  avail,  as  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  has  no  true  pretensions  to  apostolic  suc- 
cession. 


8  GENERAL    INTRODUCTORY 

In  order  to  make  this  appear,  to  the  satisfaction  of  every 
unprejudiced  mind,  we  will  gather  testimony  from  many  of 
the  respectable  authors  of  ancient  and  modern  times  ;  from 
Catholics,  Protestants,  Kings  and  Queens,  and  Acts  of  Par- 
liament ;  but  we  shall  more  especially  rely  on  the  Sacred 
Volume  of  Truth,  which  is  all  sufficient,  in  itself,  to  settle 
all  disputes  in  ecclesiastical  affairs.  This  course  we  have 
thought  not  only  the  best,  but  essentially  necessary  to  settle, 
forever,  the  grave  question  in  dispute.  And,  in  pursuing  it, 
we  think  this  great  object  will  be  fully  accomplished.  We 
will  'prove,  almost  to  demonstration,  not  only  that  there  is  no 
such  thmg  as  uninterrupted  apostolic  succession,  as  it  is 
claimed  by  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  but  that  it 
never  has  existed;  as  it  is  evident  the  wise  and  gracious 
Redeemer  never  intended  to  place  his  Church  on  such  a 
feeble  and  precarious  foundation. 

This  work,  so  long  since  commenced,  and  promised  to 
the  public,  in  the  Gospel  Herald,  has  been  laid  by,  unfin- 
ished, and  almost  forgotten,  until  the  signs  of  the  times  have 
made  it  appear  necessary  that  every  man  should  be  at  his 
post,  and,  with  Christian  courage  and  boldness,  stand  up  for 
the  truth.  In  England  and  America,  the  doctrine  of  suc- 
cession— with  much  of  its  baneful  association  and  tenden- 
cies— is  greatly  insisted  on  and  vehemently  urged,  in  these 
latter  days,  by  Pusey,  and  other  high-churchmen ;  for  the 
purpose,  if  possible,  of  reviving  the  interests,  and  sustaining 
the  little  remaining  authority,  of  the  churches  to  which  they 
belong.  But  this  course  would  not  have  been  thought  ne- 
cessary, had  they  lived  up  to  their  excellent  doctrines  and 
discipline. 

We  say  "excellent,'*  because  we  believe  them  to  be  so; 
and  had  churchmen  lived  up  to  them,  neither  the  Methodists 
-so  called-nor  many  of  the  dissenting  churches,  would  have 
had  a  separate  name  and  existence.     We  wish  it  to  be  dis- 


REMARKS  9 

tiRctly  understood,  that  we  have  no  dispute  with  these 
churches,  as  branches  of  the  Church  of  Christ ;  but  that  we 
hold  them  in  high  esteem  for  many  things,  and  wish  them, 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  to  prosper,  and  be — as  they  should 
be — a  blessing  to  the  world.  But  it  is  with  the  doc- 
trine of  succession,  that  has  been  the  foundation  of  so 
much  pain  to  the  human  family ;  and  on  which  some  of  their 
ministers  would  even  now  stand,  and  from  which  they  would 
hurl  bitter  denunciations  against  all  the  rest  of  their  sister 
churches,  so  that  they  might,  if  possible,  ride  to  rule  and 
authority  upon  their  ruins. 

But  this  false  foundation  must  entirely  fail  them,  and 
finally  leave  the  high-toned  party,  in  a  much  worse  condi- 
tion than  they  were  before  ;  while  the  evangelical  party  will 
prosper,  by  cleaving  close  to  their  old  land  marks,  enquiring 
for  the  old  paths,  and  constantly  walking  therein.  This  is 
good,  because  it  is  scriptural ;  and  it  is  the  only  way  to 
ensure  prosperity.  But,  should  this  not  be  the  case  ;  should 
the  baneful  influence  of  the  doctrine  of  succession  diffuse 
itself  through  the  whole  mass,  until  the  evangelical  party  be 
brought  under  its  native  tendencies,  then  finally,  their  de- 
struction must  be  complete.  For  nothing  can  be  more  cer- 
tain than  this,  that  where  this  doctrine  prevails,  ignorance, 
superstition,  tyranny  and  death,  must  necessarily  follow  in 
its  tl-ain.  This  has  been,  and  must  ever  be,  the  case  ;  when 
it  is  intended  to  exalt  the  priesthood  generally,  and  bishops 
and  popes  in  particular,  to  the  amazing  dignity  of  gods: 
and,  at  the  same  time,  to  keep  the  great  mass  of  mankind 
ignorant  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  so  that  they  may  be  held 
in  awe,  and  the  more  readily  submit  to  the  domination  of 
these  ghostly  rulers. 

To  expose  this,  and  all  the  hateful  delusions  belonging  to 
the  doctrine  of  succession,  and  to  guard  mankind  against 
the  dangers  to  which  they  are  exposed  from  this  quarter,  is 
2 


10  GENERAL  INTRODUCTORY 

the  principal  design  in  this^book.  And  should  this,  in  any 
good  degree,  be  accomplished,  no  matter  how  fiercely  the 
wrath  of  successionists  may  be  hurled  against  the  author,  he 
will  rejoice  in  the  God  of  his  salvation  as  the  fountain  of  all 
good ;  and  to  His  holy  name  give  all  the  glory. 

In  other  lands,  civil  oppression  and  tyranny,  may  be 
borne  with  some  degree  of  patience,  as  the  people  have 
been  raised  up  under  an  oppressive  yoke.  But  here, 
in  this  land  of  republican  freedom,  where  the  inhab- 
itants are  taught  from  their  infancy,  to  cherish  the  princi- 
ples of  civil  liberty,  the  case  is  widely  different.  They 
cannot,  for  a  moment,  brook  the  idea  of  being  brought 
under  a  despotic  government.  And  if  civil  tyranny  is  so 
much  detested,  how  much  more,  will  that  of  a  religious 
usurpation  be  feared  ?  seeking  as  it  does,  to  bind  the  con- 
science, which  ever  should  be  free,  to  act  towards  God, 
according  to  its  most  enlightened*impressions.  We  know, 
that  no  man  can  answer  for  another ;  but,  that  every  man 
must  give  an  account  for  himself,  to  the  righteous  Judge, 
of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body;  and,  therefore,  nothing  can 
be  more  abhorrent,  to  men  of  enlightened  views,  than  a 
dark,  designing,  priestly  domination,  that  can  revel  in  the 
groans,  tears,  and  blood,  of  the  ignorant  multitude ;  the 
multitude,  made  and  kept  ignorant,  and  conscience-bound 
too,  by  withholding  from  them  the  fountain  of  knowledge, 
the  Holy  Bible. 

Our  forefathers,  in  gaining  for  us  civil  liberty  by  their 
blood  and  treasure,  entailed  upon  us  blessings  that  never 
can  be  told.  But  the  greatest  of  all  blessings,  and  one 
which  can  never  be  fully  estimated  by  us  is,  that  of  reli- 
gious liberty — the  liberty  to  worship  God,  according  to  the 
dictates  of  our  own  conscience;  none  daring  to  make  us 
afraid  or  ashamed.  We  are  not  compelled  to  pay  for,  and 
thereby  sustain,  a  form  of  religion,  or  doctrine,  that  we 


REMARKS  1 1 

believe  to  be  false,  or  worse  than  false  :  or,  to  uphold  by 
our  presence  and  substance,  a  wicked  and  licentious  priest- 
hood, whose  conduct  makes  their  profession  and  office,  a 
burlesque  upon  Christianity ;  which  has  too  often  been  the 
case,  where  the  doctrine  of  succession  has  prevailed.  But 
we  can  embrace,  cherish  and  sustain,  that  form  of  doctrine 
and  religion,  that  we  believe  most  conformable  to  the  holy 
scriptures.  And  is  not  this  dear,  unspeakably  dear  to 
every  true  American's  heart ; 

The  doctrine  of  Uninterrupted  Apostolic  Succession, 
seeks  to  undermine  and  destroy — as  it  ever  has  done  in 
other  countries — in  the  most  insidious  way,  these  inesti- 
mable privileges  ;  and  thereby  turn  our  heaven-born  Ea- 
den,  into  a  howling  wilderness.  This  is  its  native  tenden- 
dency ;  and  consequently,  goes  to  prove  in  the  most  con- 
clusive manner,  its  delusive  and  false  foundation.  But  to 
make  this  truth  the  more  perfectly  clear,  and  certainty 
doubly  certain,  we  will  place  before  the  reader,  in  this 
work  the  testimony  of  many  of  the  wisest  and  best  of  men, 
who  were  immediately  concerned,  in  ages  long  since  gon6 
by,  with  those  before  the  flood. 

Were  we  about  to  establish  a  circumstance  that  trans- 
pired in  one  of  the  great  battles  fought  by  Washington, 
Wellington,  or  Bonaparte,  to  whom  should  we  look  for 
testimony  ?  or,  on  whom  should  we  so  readily  rely  for  the 
truth,  as  on  one  of  those  personages,  or  on  some  one 
that  was  an  eye  witness  of  the  same  ?  The  apostles 
themselves  could  ceitainly  better  relate  what  they  heard 
and  saw  from  Christ  himself;  and  could  be  more  implicit- 
ly believed,  than  one  who  lived  and  wrote  an  hundred 
years  after  their  decease.  And  hence,  we  not  only  refer 
to  them,  but  to  the  more  immediately  interested  in  after 
ages  ,  whose  testimony  is  handed  down  in  such  a  shape, 
and  surrounded  with  such  circumstances,  as  place   it  bs- 


12  GENERAL     INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS 

yond  suspicion.  And  this  united  testimony — the  most 
valid  of  all  other — goes  to  prove  most  clearly,  that  the 
conclusion,  drawn  from  the  native  evil  tendencies  of  the 
doctrine  of  succession,  is  assuredly  true. 

Inasmuch  as  the  light  of  science  and  religion,  was 
nearly  extinct  when  this  doctinewas  first  introduced,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  it  had  the  amazing  influence,  to  raise  the 
Roman  Pontiffs,  above  all  civil  jurisdiction  ;  and  not  only 
to  enable  them,  to  trample  at  pleasure  upon  kings  and 
kingdoms,  but  to  bind  with  superstition  and  idolatry,  the 
consciences  of  millions  of  the  human  race  for  a  long  series  of 
ages.  Indeed  men  have  been  afraid  to  look  into — much 
less  to  call  in  question — the  sources  of  their  authoiity.  But 
time  and  circumstance,  or  rather  a  kind  providence,  has  lift- 
ed the  veil,  and  revealed  the  truth  concerning  the  whole 
matter.  The  light  of  science  and  religion,  now  shines  as 
clear  as  the  sun  at  mid-day;  and  makes  it  evident  that  the 
doctrine  of  succession  is  nothing  but  a  delusion  by  which 
men  have  been  cheated  out  of  their  dearest  rights,  privileges 
and  blessings.  And  as  this  will  appear  in  the  most  con- 
clusive manner,  in  the  perusal  of  this  work,  we  can  but  be- 
lieve our  object  will  be  accomplished  ;  that  we  Americans 
shall  not — enlightened  as  we  are,  especially  with  the  gos- 
pel of  the  grace  of  God — suffer  ourselves  to  be  carried  a- 
way  with  this  dangerous  error,  and  enthralled  by  the  artful, 
attempts  made  upon  our  civil  and  religious  liberties.  Let 
us  prove  ourselves  the  worthy  sons,  of  our  much  and  de- 
servedly venerated  forefathers,  by  firmly  asserting,  and 
maintaining  at  all  hazards,  the  privilege  of  worshiping  God, 
according  to  the  dictates  of  our  own  conscience.  Let  us 
ever  hold  the  article  in  our  almost  heaven-inspired  consti- 
tution, of  free  toleration  in  religious  matters,  as  the  most 
dear  of  all  others  to  our  hearts  ;  and  at  the  same  time,  while 
we  wish  all  others  to  be  free,  let  us  be  determined  ever  to 
enjoy  that  liberty,  wherewith  Christ  has  made  us  free. 


THE  QUESTION  AT  ISSUE  13 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  question  at  issue — Dr.  C's.  definition  of  the  Church— difRculties  at- 
tendiijjr  'u — Judas  and  Simon  Magus,  Parables  ---A  true  definition  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  taken  from  the  views  of  the  wisest  and  best  of  men,  on 
the  authority  of  Scripture. 

The  question  at  issue,  on  the  doctrine  of  Uninterrupted 
Apostolic  Succession,  is  not,  Whether  an  Episcooal  form 
of  Church  Government,  is  of  divine  institution?  for  were 
this  all,  there  could  be  no  difficulty  with  any  branch  of  the 
Church,  that  has  adopted  that  form  of  government ;  seeing, 
that  it  would  stand  in  that  respect,  according  to  the  di- 
vine will.  Neither  is  it,  Whether,  ever  since  the  days  of 
the  Apostles,  there  have  been  Bishops  in  the  Church  of 
Christ,  who,  in  virtue  of  their  office,  have  exercised  author- 
ity to  ordain  ?  for  this  will  be  conceded,  on  all  hands,  as 
most  certainly  true. 

But,  the  question  divides  itself,  as  follows  ;  Did  Christ, 
the  blessed  Redeemer,  in  instituting  the  apostolic  office, 
give  authority  to  his  Apostles,  to  constitute  their  successors 
in  office,  by  the  imposition  of  their  hands  ?  Have  their  suc- 
cessors, thus  constituted,  the  same  authority  to  constitute, 
in  like  manner,  others  to  succeed  them?  so  that  the  line  of 
succession  should  be  kept  up  through  every  succeeding  age 
until  the  end  of  time  ;  and  be  essential  to  ministerial  au- 
thority, and  the  existence  of  the  true  Church  of  Christ.  And 
if  so,  Has  that  line  of  succession,  been  kept  up,  and  where 
is  it  now  to  be  found  ? 

Doctor  Chapman  contends,  that  this  has  been  kept  up, 
and  is  to  be  found  in  this  country,  in  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  derived  from  the  Church  of  England  ;  which 

itself  received  it — as  he  supposes — from  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church, 


14  THE  QUESTION  AT  ISSUE 

To  establish  all  this,  he  gives  us,  as  we  shall  notice,  ill 
the  first  place,  a  definition  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  He 
says,  "It  has  been  defined,  an  assembly  of  faithful  men,  of 
believers,  of  true  Christians.  But  the  definition  is  not 
strictly  correct.  I  prefer  therefore,  a  more  scriptural  explan- 
ation. I  prefer,  to  consider,  that  portion  of  men,  who  have 
submitted  to  the  holy  rite  of  baptism,  as  constituting  the 
body  of  Christ's  Church,  no  matter  what  may  be  the  real 
state  of  their  hearts  and  affections."  "On  the  one  side,  we 
have  the  world  ;  and  on  the  other,  those  that  have  been  ta- 
ken from  it,  and  sacramentally  admitted  into  the  Church,  of 
which  Christ  is  the  head,  because,  he  purchased  it  with  his 
blood ;  and  because  it  is  a  kingdom,  over  which  he  exer- 
cises supreme  power  and  authority."     See  pp.  13  14. 

In  this,  which  the  Doctor  calls  a  more  scriptural  defini- 
tion of  the  Church,  baptism  is  made  the  only  line  of  distinc- 
tion, between  the  world,  and  the  church  ;  so,  that  if  we  have 
been  baptized,  and  thus  sacramentally  admitted  into  the 
church,  or  body  of  Christ,  we  are  true  members  of  his  church; 
no  matter  what  may  be  the  true  state  of  our  hearts,  and  affec- 
tions. In  other  words,  that  while  our  hearts,  may  be  as  a 
nest  of  vipers ;  or  a  cage  of  unclean  birds  ;  or  to  use  his  own 
expressions,  "as  black  as  hell;"  with  all  the  affections 
placed  upon  the  world,  and  grovelling  in  the  dust ;  we  are 
nevertheless,  made  by  baptism,  true  members  of  the  Church 
of  Christ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  if  we  have  not  been 
baptized,  no  matter  how  pure  our  hearts  may  be,  although 
they  may  have  been  washed,  and  made  white  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb,  and  all  our  affections  placed  upon  Heaven,  and 
heavenly  things:  we  are  on  the  side  of  the  world  ;  we  must 
be  considered  the  enemies  of  Christ,  and  his  holy  religion, 
and  consequently  as  having  no  part,  or  lot,  in  the  mystical 
body  of  Christ. 

To  sustain  this  strange  definition  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 


THE  QUESTION  AT  ISSUE  l5 

he  observes — "The  traitor  Judas  belonged  to  the  Church, 
during  our  Lord's  ministry — Simon  Magus  was  baptized  in- 
to it  by  Phillip.  And  among  other  parables  Jesus  put  forth 
one,  in  which  he  describes  it  as  a  field  containing  wheat, 
and  tares;  and  said  let  both  grow  together  until  the  harvest." 

We  understand  the  Dr.  here  to  say  in  the  1st.  place,  that 
Judas  was  both  a  traitor  and  a  devil,  when  Christ  first  called 
him  to  be  an  Apostle,  and  continued  so,  during  his  ministry 
upon  earth.  But  in  this,  he  is  as  unfortunate,  as  in  his  defi- 
nition of  the  Church;  for  both  scripture,  and  reason  are  in 
direct  opposition  to  him.  We  learn  from  scripture,  that 
Christ  called  him,  (Judas,)  and  placed  him  in  the  apostolic 
office  ;  thereby  constituting  him,  his  "own  familiar  friend," 
according  to  the  prophecy  that  had  gone  before ;  "a  friend 
in  whom  he  trusted."  As  such,  he  sent  him  out  with  the 
rest  of  the  Apostles  ;  endowed  with  power  from  on  high,  to 
heal  the  sick,  and  cast  out  devils,  as  well  as  to  preach  the 
gospel,  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  And  hence 
we  cannot  believe,  that  Judas  was  a  devil,  or  a  traitor, 
during  Christ's  ministry  on  earth ;  nor  indeed,  until  the 
night  he  received  the  sop,  and  the  devil  entered  into  him  ; 
and  this  was  the  same  night,  in  which  he  betrayed  him  ; 
and  consequently  fell  from  his  Bishopric,  or  Apostleship. 
And,  inasmuch  as  we  must  believe,  the  divine  Redeemer 
acted  consistently  with  himself,  when  he  so  highly  favored, 
and  exalted  Judas,  with  the  rest  of  his  Apostles  ;  we  can  see 
no  good  reason,  why  he  might  not  have  improved  the  grace 
so  freely  bestowed  upon  him,  and  thus,  have  secured  his  cal- 
ling, made  his  election  sure,  and  finally,  stood  among  the 
blood-washed  throng  at  God's  right  hand.  But  unfortunate- 
ly, when  the  tempter  inflamed  his  avarice,  he  yielded ;  and 
sold  his  Lord  and  Master,  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver :  and  it 
is  to  be  feared,  was  finally  lost. 

But  it  is  said  that  Christ  ''trusted"  in  him,  as  a  "friend/* 


l6  THE  QUESTION  AT  ISSUE 

yea,  his  ''familiar  friend ;"  and  hence,  it  cannot  be  con- 
ceived— without  blaspheming,  as  the  Jews  did  when  they 
said  Christ  "cast  out  devils  by  Beelzebub  the  prince  of  the 
devils" — that  Judas  was  a  devil,  when  he  was  called  to  the 
Apostleship  ;  for  it  would  make  Christ  not  only  a  compan- 
ion and  friend  of  devils,  but  to  trust  in  them  for  aid  in  the 
work  he  had  to  perform.  And  instead  of  anything  like  this, 
it  is  to  be  remarked,  that  the  Saviour  took  special  pains 
— when  the  Jews  accused  him  of  familarity  with  devils; 
and  when  devils  acknowledged  him  as  the  son  of  God — to 
show  that  he  had  no  connection  whatever  with  the  prince  of 
darkness.  He  cast  out  devils,  and  proclaimed  that  he  cast 
them  out,  by  the  "finger,"  or  power  "of  God." 

It  is  strange  indeed,  that  our  author  should  have  fallen 
into  so  great  a  mistake  ! 

It  must  be  believed  by  all  the  true  followers  of  Christ,  as 
he  w^as  holy  and  harmless,  separate  from  sinners,  in  the 
midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation,  that  he  no  more 
intended  to  trifle  with  Judas,  when  he  called  him  to  the  apos- 
tleship, and  sent  him  forth  with  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  to 
heal  the  sick  and  cast  out  devils,  than  he  did  to  form  a  league 
vi^ith  the  fiend  of  darkness  and  thereby  become  his  familar 
friend.  Christ,  the  Lord,  had  no  need  of  Satan ;  but  came 
expressly  to  destroy  his  power,  and  to  redeem  a  world  that 
had  been  led  captive  and  enthralled,  by  his  slander  on  the 
Almighty  and  hypocrisy  towards  man.  No;  the  great  Sa- 
viour of  sinners  had  no  guile,  but  was  sincere  in  all  his  ac- 
tions towards,  Judas  ;  and  this  could  not  have  been  the  case 
if — knowing  him  to  be  a  devil — he  called  him  to  the  Apos- 
tleship, without  qualifying  him  as  he  might  have  done 
for  his  holy  work,  by  changing  his  heart  and  making  him, 
through  grace,  his  sincere  disciple.  Judas  was  like  other 
men  ;  and  was  no  worse  by  nature  than  the  rest  of  Adam's 
fallen  family.     The  Saviour  in  his  infinite   wisdom,  called 


THE  QUESTION  AT  ISSUE  17 

and  qualified  him,  as  one  of  his  apostles,  and  gave  him 
power  with  the  rest  when  he  sent  them  out,  to  cast  out 
devils,  and  to  do  every  thing  appertaining  to  his  ministry. 
And,  as  he  was  sincere  in  all  he  did,  and  never  intended  to 
mock  Judas  ;  if  he  had  been  faithful  to  his  trust— as  he 
might  have  been— no  rational  doubt  can  be  entertained,  of 
his  having  secured  his  place  in  the  Kingdom  above. 

As  for  Simon  Magus,  his  case  is,  truly,  in  keeping  with 
the  Doctor's  definition  of  the  Church;  and  afifords  a  just  ex- 
ample of  such  a  member— if  indeed,he  was  a  member  at  all 
—as  the  Dr.  has  described.  For,  while  he  was  indeed  bap- 
tized  by  Phillip,  he  was  so  far  from  being  a  member  of 
the  mystical  body  of  Christ,  by  the  reception  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  that,  according  to  the  Apostolic  decision,  ''His 
heart  was  not  right  with  God:  he  was  in  the  gall  of  bitter- 
ness and  bonds  of  iniquity;  and  had  neither  part  nor  lot,  in 
the  matter."  Scripturally  speaking,  then,  this  man,  never 
was  a  true  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ;  his  baptism 
notwithstanding. 

Again;  it  is  true  that  Christ  intended  to  describe  his 
Church,  by  the  parable  referred  to  by  our  author;  but,  his 
misfortune  consists  in  taking  that  part  of  it,  in  which  the 
world  is  spoken  of,  as  a  representation  of  the  Church,  He 
says— as  we  have  seen— that  "  Christ  described  it  (the 
Church)  as  a  field,  containing  wheat,  and  tares,  &c;" 
whereas,  Christ  himself  said,  '^the  field,  is  the  loorld;  the 
good  seed,  the  children  of  the  Kingdom,  (or  the  Church) 
the  tares,  the  children  of  the  wicked  one;  the  enemy  that 
sowed  them,  is  the  devil ;  the  harvest,  is  the  end  of  the 
world  ,  and  the  reapers,  are  the  angels  ;  as  therefore,  the 
tares  are  gathered,  and  burned  in  the  fire,  so  shall  it  be,  in 
the  end  of  the  world."  Here  truly,  we  have  the  world,  all 
the  tares,  or  "children  of  the  wicked  one,"  who  shall  finals 
ly  be  gathered  together,  bound  in  bundles,  and  cast  into 
3 


18  THE  QUESTION  AT  ISSUE 

verlasting  fire ;  while  on  the  other  side,  we  have  the  good 
seed,  "the  children  of  the  kingdom,"  or  the  true  church  of 
Christ ;  who,  according  to  his  own  definition,  shall  finally 
be  gathered  into  the  garner  of  the  Lord,  and  shine  forth,  a& 
the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  father  forever,  and  ever. 

The  holy  scriptures,  uniformly  represent  the  Church 
militant,  as  being  composed,  of  the  true  disciples  of  Jesus 
Christ,  or  those,  who  by  faith  in  the  atoning  blood,  have 
been  baptized ;  not  with  water  only,  but  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven.  In  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles 1  ch.  15  v.,  it  is  said,  "the  number  of  the  disciples 
was  about  one  hundred  and  twenty."  And  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  when  the  promise  of  the  father  was  fulfilled,  in 
the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  them,  three  thous- 
and were  cut  to  the  heart,  and  added  to  them  ;  and  more- 
over, that  *'the  Lord  added  to  the  Church  daily,  such  as 
should  be  saved."  [See  Acts  2  c.  and  47  v.]  And  in  Cor, 
12  c.  13  v.,  it  is  said,  ''for  by  one  spirit  are  we  all  bap- 
tized into  one  body;"  and,  in  the  27  c.  28  v.,  "Now  are  ye 
the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  particular  ;  and  God 
hath  set  some  in  the  Church,  first,  apostles"  &c.  And  in 
Eph.  5  c.  "Even  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church,  and  he 
is  the  Saviour  of  the  body.  Christ  also  loved  the  Church, 
and  gave  himself  for  it  that  he  might  sanctify  and 
cleanse  it,  and  present  it  to  himself,  a  glorious  Church, 
not  having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing.  But  that  it 
should  be  holy,  and  without  blemish." 

We  might  thus  proceed,  with  quotations  from  the  holy 
scriptures,  as  there  is  much  in  them,  of  the  same  import; 
but  this  may  suffice  to  show  the  vast  disparity  that  exists 
between  a  true  definition  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  that 
given  us  by  our  author.  His  definition  is,  indeed,  any 
thing  but  scriptural  ;  although  he  calls  it  a  more  scriptural 
one.  It  is,  moreover,  heterodox  ;  not  only  according  to  the 
scriptures,  but  according  to  the  definition  given  by  his  own 


THE  QUESTION  AT  ISSUE  19 

beloved  Zion.  For  sheha^  adopted  the  following  language 
in  defining  the  Church  ;  "  The  visible  Church  of  Christ,  is 
a  congregation  of  faithful  men,  in  which  the  true  word  of 
God  is  preached,  and  the  sacraments  duly  administered, 
according  to  Christ's  ordinances,  in  all  those  things  that  of 
necessity  are  requisite  to  the  same,"  See  Acts  9c.  31v, 
Cral.  1.  2.  22.  1st  Cor.  14c.  34v.  Acts  20c.  17v.  Col.  6c. 
-5v.;  all  of  which  agree  wit-h  the  following  definition,  given 
by  Buck,  in  his  Theo.  Die.  p.  81  ,  "  The  true  members  of 
the  Church  of  Christ,  are  such  as  are  born  again — 2nd, 
They  came  out  from  the  world,  1st  Cor.  6c.  17v. — 3d  They 
'Openly  profess  love  to  Christ,  James  2nd,  14c.  26v.  Mark 
8c.  34v.— 4th,  They  v/alk  in  all  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord, 
blameless."  *'None  but  such,  are  proper  members  of  the 
true  Church;  nor  should  any  be  admitted  to  any  particular 
Church,  without  some  appearance  of  these,  at  least." 

Thus  we  might  continue  to  set  forth  the  views  of  good 
and  great  men,  in  different  ages  of  the  world,  and  of  many 
orthodox  churches  all  agreeing  to,  and  setting  forth,  the 
evangelical  definition  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  as  found  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures.  And  of  this,  our  author  appeared  to 
be  sensible,  when  he  took'  his  departure  from  them,  and  as- 
sumed that  definition,  whichhe  discovered  to  be  necessary, 
in  order  to  give  him  a  proper  foundation  upon  which  to 
build  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  Succession.  He  saw,  that 
if  indeed  the  Church  must  consist  of  faithful,  good  men, 
men  born  of  God,  and  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  the 
•exclusion  of  all  others,  that  it  would  perfectly  destroy,  even 
the  shadow  of  plausibility,  in  getting  up  his  favorite  doc- 
trine. But  if  he  could  make  it  appear  that  Judas,  when  a 
traitor  and  a  devil;  and  Simon  Magns,  when  in  the  gall  of 
bitterness  and  bonds  of  iniquity,  were  true  members  of 
the  Church  of  Christ ;  and  that  the  field,  and  tares,  as  well 
as  the  wheat,  represented  the  true  children  of  God,  and 
•consequently   no  distinction  was   to    be   made   between 


•  f 

20  THE  QUESTION   AT  ISSUE 

the  world  and  the  Church,  but  by  water  baptism,  then  he 
could  introduce,  with  some  appearance  of  consistency,  the 
old  popish  notion  of  Apostolic  Succession.  For  if,  indeed, 
such  were  the  original  constitution  of  the  Church,  that  trai- 
tors, and  devils,  were  recognised  by  Christ,  as  his  true  dis- 
ciples, and  if  he  in  the  beginning,  clothed  them  with  all 
that  is  meant  by  apostolic  dignity,  then  it  mattered  not 
how  impure,  and  muddy,  the  stream,  through  which  the 
succession  should  come.  We  can  see  no  good  reason  why 
the  Doctor  should  so  far  depart — in  defining  the  church — 
from  the  sacred  scriptures,  the  doctrines  of  his  own 
Church,  and  the  judgment  of  all  wise,  and  good  men,  of 
every  age  ;  unless,  indeed,  it  were  for  the  purpose  of  laying 
the  best  foundation  he  could,  upon  which  to  build  up  the 
doctrine  of  Apostolic  Succession.  And  verily,  it  is  the 
best  foundation  that  can  be  laid  !  But  as  it  is  a  sandy  one, 
the  whole  fabrication  must  fall  to  the  ground ;  for  the  great 
Redeemer  has  said  *'  Every  one  that  hath  these  sayings  of 
mine  and  doe!h  them  not,  shall  be  likened  to  a  foolish 
man  who  built  his  house  upon  the  sand.  And  the  rain  de- 
scended, and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat 
upon  that  house,  and  it  fell;  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it/' 


,    ON  THE  MINISTRY  21 


CHAPTER     III. 

On  the  Ministry,  Apostles,  Evangelists,  Bishops  or  Elders,  and  Deacons. 

After  giving  his  definition  of  the  Church,  which  is  unique 
and  must  stand  alone  in  its  own  glory,  Dr.  C.  endeavors  to 
prove  the  existence  of  three  orders  in  the  ministry,  to  wit : 
bishops,  priests,  and  deacons.  He  commences  by  telling 
us,  that,  like  a  "good  logician,"  he  would  begin  with  "the 
least  satisfactory  argument,"  and  gradually  proceed  to  the 
more  powerful  and  convincing ;  and  accordingly  proceeds 
to  tell  us — as  his  first  ar^ment  is  from  analogy — that  "Abel 
and  Isaac"  were  types  of  Christ ;  and,  in  the  Jewish  Church 
there  were  three  orders  in  the  ministry ;  the  High  Priests, 
Priests,  and  Levites  ;  that,  in  the  Christian  Church,  there 
was  the  same  distinction,  in  relation  to  number  and  author- 
ity; Christ  occupied  the  first  rank,  the  twelve  apostles  the 
second,  and  the  seventy  disciples  the  third  ;"  see  p.  19. 
But,  after  this  parade  of  analogy,  he  presently  destroys  the 
weight  of  his  argument,  by  making  the  same  types  represent 
the  apostles,  the  elders,  and  deacons  :  see  p.  31  ;  so,  all  that 
he  has  said  in  this  way  must  go  for  nothing  at  last.  Some 
good  and  great  men,  not  less  reputed  for  powers  of  logic 
than  the  Doctor  himself,  are  of  opinion  that  the  twelve  pa- 
triarchs were  intended  to  prefigure  the  twelve  apostles  ;  the 
seventy  elders  of  the  Jews,  the  seventy  disciples  of  Christ ; 
while  others,  of  no  less  reputation,  think  that  the  Christian 
ministry  was  formed  more  after  the  plan  of  the  synagogue, 
than  of  the  temple  worship.  We  know  that  many  things 
under  the  Jewish  economy  were  intended  as  types  and  shad- 
ows. Moses  and  Aaron,  the  priests,  as  well  as  the  high 
priests,  together  with  all  the  special  and  daily  sacrifices 


22  ON  THE  MINISTRY 

pointed  directly  to  Christ,  the  gracious  Redeemer  of  man- 
kind; and  the  all-sufficient  and  all-prevailing  sacrifice  that  he 
offered  up  on  Calvary.  But,  that  any  thing  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament was  intended  to  prefigure  the  **  number  and  autho- 
rity," of  the  Christian  ministry  is  very  uncertain. 

The  deacons,  the  lowest  order  in  the  ministry,  are,  in  the 
second  place,  brought  into  view  ;  and,  to  show  that  they 
were  constituted  ministers  of  the  word,  by  their  original 
ordination,  our  author  quotes  the  following  scriptures : — 
*'And,  in  those  days,  when  the  number  of  the  disciples  was 
multiplied,  there  arose  a  murmuring  of  the  Grecians  against 
the  Hebrews,  because  their  widows  were  neglected  in  the 
daily  ministration. 

*'  Then  the  twelve  called  the  multitude  of  the  disciples 
unto  them,  and  said,  It  is  not  reason,  that  we  should  leave 
the  word  of  God,  and  serve  tables. 

"  Wherefore,  brethren,  look  ye  out  among  you,  seven  men 
of  honest  report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom,  whom 
ye  may  appoint  over  this  business. 

"  But  we  will  give  ourselves  continually  to  prayer,  and  to 
the  ministry  of  the  word. 

''  And  the  saying  pleased  the  v/hole  multitude  :  and  they 
chose  Stephen,  a  man  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
Philip,  and  Prochorus,  and  Nicanor,  and  Timon,  and  Parme- 
nas,  and  Nicolas  a  proselyte  of  Antioch, 

*'  Whom  they  set  before  the  apostles ;  and  when  they 
had  prayed,  they  laid  their  hands  on  them." 

We  think  it  is  certain,  that  every  one,  not  blinded  by  his 
creed  or  confession  of  faith,  who  will  look  with  an  honest 
desire  to  understand  and  be  governed  by  the  truth,  will  see 
that  the  election  and  ordination  mentioned  in  the  foregoing 
scripture,  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  ministry  of  the  word, 
and  was  not  mtended  to  constitute  a  new  order  in  the  min- 
istry ;  no  matter  what  may  be  said  concerning  the  office  of 


ON  THE  MINISTRY  23 

a  deacon  in  any  other  part  of  God's  word.  For  it  first  ori. 
ginated  in  the  "murmuring  of  the  Grecians."  and  a  deter- 
mination of  the  apostles  to  disburden  themselves  of  the 
service  of  tables.  And  the  reason  they  give  for  this  deter- 
mination is,  that  it  was  not  reason,  that  they  ''should  leave 
the  word  of  God  and  serve  tables."  It  is  clear,  therefore 
that  the  deacons  were  not  ministers  of  the  word,  before  they 
were  ordained  to  that  office  ;  for,  in  that  case,  it  would  have 
been  as  unreasonable  to  encumber  them  with  the  service  of 
tables,  as  any  others,  or  even  the  apostles  themselves. 
Moreover,  it  is  equally  clear  that  they  were  not  constituted 
ministers  of  the  word,  by  virtue  of  their  ordination  ;  since 
they  were  chosen  from  the  multitude  of  the  disciples,  and 
solely  for  the  purpose  of  serving  tables. 

We  know  it  is  contended,  that  the  deacons  did  preach  the 
word,  and  administer  the  holy  ordinance  of  baptism,  after 
their  ordination.  And  we  readily  grant,  that,  of  some  of 
them,  this  is  true.  But  we  positively  deny  that  they  did  so, 
in  virtue  of  their  office  to  seive  tables.  And  what  appears 
to  be  conclusive  m  the  case  is,  that,  so  far  as  we  can  learn, 
soon  after  they  commenced  to  preach,  they  left  the  service 
of  tables,  their  original  work  according  to  their  ordination, 
and  gave  themselves,  like  the  apostles,  wholly  to  the  minis- 
try of  the  word  ;  which  was  as  reasonable  and  necessary  in 
their  case,  as  in  tfhat  of  the  apostles  themselves.  And  thus, 
having  been  deacons  of  the  Church  before  they  began  to 
preach  the  word,  they  still  retained  the  name  after  they  be- 
gan to  do  so  ;  although  they  were  deacons  of  a  very  different 
order. 

The  authority  for  that  order  of  ministers  in  the  Church, 
called  deacons,  although  not  found  in  the  Scripture  to  which 
reference  has  been  made,  is  contained,  we  think,  in  the  fol- 
lowing :  "  Likewise  must  the  deacons  be  grave,  not  double- 
tongued,  not  given  to  much  wine,  not  greedy  of  filthy  lucre; 


24  OF  THE  MINISTRY 

holding  the  mystery  of  faith  in  a  pure  conscience."  "And 
let  them  first  be  proved,  then  let  them  use  the  office  of  a 
deacon."  And  here  we  observe,  first,  the  deacons  are  spo- 
ken of,  and  their  qualifications  are  pointed  out;  and  then  it 
is  said,  "  let  them  be  proved."  How  ?  Most  certainly,  we 
should  think,  as  deacons,  according  to  their  original  consti- 
tution ;  and  then,  being  faithful,  "  let  them  use  the  office  of 
a  deacon,"  in  a  higher  sense  ;  not  to  serve  widows  only  in 
temporal  things,  but  the  whole  congregation,  in  word  and 
doctrine.  Then  follows  immediately,  the  reason  why  it 
should  be  so  :  "  For  they  that  have  used  the  office  of  a  dea- 
con well," — that  is,  according  to  the  original  design — "  pur- 
chase to  themselves  a  good  degree,  and  great  boldness  in 
the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus — 1st  Tim.  c.  3,  v.  8,  10» 
and  13.  It  will  be  seen  from  this,  that  we  agree  with  the 
Doctor  in  this  one  thing ;  that  is  to  say,  there  was  in  the 
Church,  according  to  its  original  constitution,  an  order  of 
ministers  called  deacons.  And  we  think,  the  strongest 
argument  in  favor  of  this  order,  in  addition  to  what  has  been 
already  noticed,  is  found  in  the  fact,  that  they  are  so  often 
spoken  of  in  immediate  connection  with  elders  or  bishops  ; 
and  the  same  qualifications — nearly,  if  not  altogether — are 
required  in  both,  for  the  fulfilment  of  their  sacred  office. 

The  elders  of  the  Scripture,  as  another  and  higher  order 
of  ministers,  are  in  the  next  place  brought  into  view  ;  and 
we  readily  admit  the  Doctor's  assertion,  "That  the  institu- 
tion of  their  office  is  not  denied ;"  nor,  indeed,  so  far  as  we 
know  has  it  been  denied,  by  any  man  or  set  of  men.  The 
Scriptures  are  plain,  and  fully  set  forth  the  fact,  that  the 
apostles  did  ordain  elders  in  every  place  where  they  estab- 
lished the  Church  of  Christ.  But  who  were  they  ?  '*  and 
what  were  the  powers  of  their  office  ?"  Did  they,  or  did 
they  not,  in  virtue  of  their  office,  ordain  others,  and  thus  set 
them  apart  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  ?     A  fair  and  Scrips 


ON  THE  MINISTRY  25 

tural  answer  to  this  question,  will  do  much  towards  settling 
the  whole  subject  in  dispute.  Let  us,  then,  refer  to  the  law 
and  to  the  testimony  ;  for  by  these  we  are  willing  to  stand 
or  fall. 

Dr.  C.  contends  that  the  elders  had  no  authority  to  ordain, 
inasmuch  as  they  were  in  subordination  to  the  apostles. 
But  this  can  prove  nothing  in  his  favor,  as  they  might  have 
received  such  authority  immediately  from  them  ;  and  that, 
too,  in  virtue  of  their  ordination.  And  this,  we  think,  will 
appear  to  be  the  plain,  scriptural,  account  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter. 

But  to  make  this  appear  more  perfectly  plain,  it  will  be 
necessary  first,  to  consider  the  Apostolic  Office. 

It  is  confessed  on  all  hands  that  the  Apostles  were  su= 
perior  in  rank,  and  authority,  to  all  others  in  their  day. 
They  were  the  first  disciples  of  Christ,  the  first  ministers 
of  Christ ;  they  saw  Christ  in  the  flesh,  and  were  called 
immediately  by  him,  not  only  to  be  his  apostles,  but  to  be 
his  constant  companions  and  special  friends.  They  were 
qualified,  and  sent  forth  by  him,  not  only  to  preach  the 
gospel,  but  also  to  heal  the  sick,  and  cast  out  devils,  in 
confirmation  of  their  high  calling.  They  were  eye  witnesses 
of  his  crucifixion,  and  saw  him  frequently  after  his  resur- 
rection; and  consequently  were  especially  qualified  to  bear 
witness  to  the  same.  And,  moreover,  they — with  the  holy 
Prophets — are  the  foundation  of  the  Church  ;  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord,  being  the  chief  corner  stone.  Such  being  the 
peculiar  characteristics  of  the  Apostolic  Office,  we  are 
bound  to  acknowledge  they  had  no  superiors  in  the  holy 
ministry.  Neither  can  they  have  any  successors  in  a  full 
and  proper  sense  of  the  term  ;  although  it  is  thought,  that 
the  case  of  Matthias  and  Paul  are  in  proof  that  they  can. 
But  the  reasons  given  to  show  why  Matthias  was  chosen  to 
fill  the  place  of  Judas,  who  had  betrayed  his  Master,  and 


26  ON  THE  MINISTRY 

gone  to  his  "own  place,"  make  it  as  evident  as  the  lighl 
of  day,  that  he  possessed  the  essential  qualifications  for 
the  sacred  office.  He  was  an  old  *disciple  of  Christ,  had 
seen  him,  and  was  a  witness  of  his  resurrection,  as  evi- 
dently appears  from  the  following  passage  of  scripture — - 
*' Wherefore  of  these  men  which  have  companied  with  us, 
all  the  time  that  the  Lord  Jesus  went  in  and  out  among  us, 
must  one  be  ordained  to  be  a  witness,  with  us,  of  his  resur- 
rection. And  they  gave  forth  their  lots,  and  the  lot  fell  upon 
Matthias,  and  he  was  numbered  with  the  eleven  Apos- 
tles."    Acts  Ic. 

As  for  Paul,  who  had  been  a  persecutor  and  an  enemy 
of  the  church,  according  to  his  own  confession,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  appeared  to  him — while  on  his  way  to  De- 
mascus,  with  letters  of  authority,  to  bind  and  imprison  all 
that  he  might  find  calling  upon  the  name  of  Christ — con- 
vinced him  of  his  error;  and  when  he  was  humbled  for  his 
sins,  and  cried  for  mercy,  directed  him  in  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, pardoned  his  sins,  and  changed  his  rebellious  heart ; 
and  thus,  by  his  heavenly  grace,  qualified  him,  and  sent 
him  far  away  as  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  Hence  St. 
Paul,  having  received,  *'  not  from  man,  or  by  man,*'*  but 
from  the  Lord  TJesus  himself,  all  the  essential  qualifica- 
tions to  fill  the  Apostolic  Office,  could  say,  "  Am  I  not  an 
Apostle  ?  Have  I  not  seen  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ?"  And 
from  this  it  appears,  that  to  have  seen  Christ,  and  to  be 
specially  qualified  to  bear  witness  to  his  resurrection — as 
St  Paul  and  the  rest  of 'the  apostles  were — were  pre-requi- 
sites,  essential  to  the  Apostolic  Office;  and,  that  none  but 
such  as  had  these,  could  possibly  be  Apostles.  They  were 
called  by  this  name,  by  way  of  distinction  ;  and  none  oth- 
ers since  their  day,  can  properly  claim  this  title.  For  who 
among  the  boldest  pretenders  to  apostolic  authority  and 
dignity,  can  venture  to  say,  **  I  have  seen  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord"? 


ON  THE  MINISTRY  27 

Now  to  establish  the  *'  perpetuity  of  the  apostolic  office'* 
and  dignity,  the  following  scripture  is  quoted  by  our  au- 
thor.; **  As  my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you.'* 
This,  he  says,  *'  was  the  language  employed  by  the  Saviour, 
at  the  separation  of  the  eleven  to  the  work  of  the  ministry." 
Is  it  not  astonishing  that  a  Doctor  of  Divinity  should  be 
guilty  of  a  such  a  mistake  as  this  ?  when  it  is  so  plainly 
stated  in  holy  writ,  that  the  Saviour  called,  and  separated 
them  to  the  apostolic  office,  long  before  he  uttered  this  lan- 
.guage.  How  were  they  so  called  and  separated  ?  By  the 
simple  words,  •*  Follow  me  ;"  and,  '•  Go  ye  rather  to  the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  And  as  ye  go,  preach, 
saying,  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick, 
cleanse  the  lepers,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out  devils;  freely  ye 
have  received,  freely  give."  Matt.  10c.  6,  8vs. 

This  commission  was  received  by  the  Apostles,  at  an 
early  period  of  the  Saviour's  ministry  upon  earth  ;  and  they 
went  forth,  and  discharged  its  sacred  duties  during  his  stay, 
or  until  the  time  of  his  crucifixion.  And,  in  all  probabili- 
ty, they  frequently  returned,  with  the  seventy,  to  their  Mas- 
ter, rejoicing  that,  "  even  the  devils  were  subject  to  them, 
through  his  name," 

But,  as  our  author  thinks  the  language  employed  by  our 
Saviour,  affords  no  small  proof  of  the  perpetuity  of  the 
apostolic  office,  he  gives  us  the  following  paraphrase  :  "  As 
my  Father  hath  sent  me  to  preach  the  gospel  and  baptize, 
to  build  up  the  Church  and  establish  its  ministry,  even  so 
send  I  you,  duly  empowered  in  rny  name  to  discharge  all 
these  duties.  As  he  sent  me  to  make  you  apostles,  even 
so  send  I  you,  with  full  power  and  authority  to  confer  the 
same  dignity  on  others  :"  p.  36. 

This  paraphrase,  in  the  first  place,  makes  the  Saviour  a 
disobedient  son,  according  to  his  own  confession  ;  because, 
although  he  was  sent  to  baptize,  he  never  baptized  one  ; 
see  John,  4  c.  2  v.    It  supposes,  secondly,  that  Christ  del- 


28  ON  THE  MINISTRY 

egated  his  power  and  authority  to  his  apostles,  to  call  and 
qualify  men  for  the  holy  ministry,  independent  of  anything 
more  that  he  should  say  or  do  ,  as  though  he  had  gone  up 
into  heaven,  and  left  his  Church  entirely  to  the  rule  and  go- 
vernment of  men  until  the  day  of  judgment !  so  that  those, 
whom  they  should  see  fit  to  ordain,  even  to  the  high 
office  of  an  apostle,  should  be  acknowledged  as  such  by 
him;  no  matter  how  wicked  they  might  be. 

Here  we  think  the  Doctor  has  brought  to  light  the  source 
of  the  fruitful,and  destructive  error  of  the  doctrine  of  Apos- 
tolic Succession ;  for  it  is  predicated  on  the  supposition^ 
that  those  who  were  ordained  by  the  Apostles,  and  their 
successors,  had  the  true  and  scriptural  authority,  to  set 
apart  men  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  by  the  imposition 
of  their  hands,  no  matter  how  corrupt  and  sinful  they 
might  be  ;  and,  to  use  the  Doctor's  own  language,  al- 
though they  might  be  "  among  the  most  conceited  hypo- 
crites, and  their  hearts  as  black  as  hell."  How  many 
wolves  in  sheep's  clothing,  have  been  introduced  into  the 
ministry  on  this  mistaken  view  of  the  truth  of  Christ ;  and 
how  much  the  Church  has  suffered  and  bled  on  this  ac- 
count, will,  in  all  probability,  never  be  known  till  the  day 
of  judgment,  when  Christ  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his 
Father,  to  render  to  every  man  according  as  his  works  have 
been.  Oh,  the  horrid  crimes  that  have  been  committed 
under  the  pretended  cover  of  apostolic  authority  ! 

But  the  sacred  scriptures  are  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
Doctor's  hypothesis,  and  to  the  whole  foundation  of  his  pre- 
tended succession.  They  assure  us  that,  though  Christ  is 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  majesty  on  high,  as  our  interces- 
sor, he  is  still  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  to  whom  we  should 
pray  to  send  forth  laborers.  That  he  is  still  the  Apostle, 
and  High  Priest  of  our  Profession,  the  High  Priest  over  the 
Church  of  God  forever;  and  that  he  constantly  walks 
iamong  the  Golden  Candlesticks,  and  superintends  the  af- 


ON  THE  MINISTRY  29 

fairs  of  his  Church.  That  instead  of  leaving  his  Church 
and  people,  to  the  ignorance  and  caprice  of  men,  he  still 
calls  and  sends  forth  men  whom  he  qualifies  for  the  holy 
work  of  the  ministry.  And  he  gives  us  this  rule  by  which 
we  may  judge  concerning  them,  "  By  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them."  These  fruits,  spoken  of  by  the  Great  Head 
of  the  Church,  are  plainly  set  forth  in  his  word  ;  so  that 
when  we  find  the  minister  of  Christ  bearing  them,  we 
may  know  he  is  in  that  true,  scriptural  line  of  succes- 
sion, established  by  Christ  himself. 

The  meaning  of  the  language  of  our  Saviour  in  question, 
is  not  what  has  been  supposed  by  the  Doctor.  It  was  not 
intended  to  separate  the  Apostles  to  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, or  to  constitute  them  apostles  ;  but  to  enlarge  and  ex. 
tend  their  authority,  not,  indeed,  to  make  ministers  for 
Christ,  but  to  preach  the  gospel  every  where,  with  the  Holy 
Gho3t  sent  down  from  heaven ;  and  to  do  all  things  essen- 
tial to  the  establishing  of  His  church  upon  earth.  He 
had,  long  before,  called  and  constituted  them  apostles;  but 
had  confined  them,  in  their  labors,  to  the  "lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel."  But  now,  after  his  agony  upon  the  cross 
and  his  resurrection  from  the  dead,  he  tells  them,  "  As  my 
Father  hath  sent  me,"  to  redeem  the  world,  the  whole  world 
of  sinners  lost,  "  so  send  I  you"  to  preach  that  redemption 
to  all  mankind.  And  this  is  in  strict  accordance  with  what 
he  said  in  another  place,  as  recorded  by  St.  Matthew,  28  c. 
19,  20  v.,  ''  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost:  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you,  and  lo  !  I  am  with  you  always,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world."  Thus  the  divine  Redeemer 
renewed  and  enlarged  the  commission  of  his  apostles  ;  so 
that  they  might  go,  not  only  to  the  "  lost  sheep  of  the  house 
of  Israel,"  but  to  all  that  he  had  purchased  with  his  own 
precious  blood  ;  and  to  embolden  and  encourage  them  in  the 


30  ON  THE   MINISTRY 

faithful  discharge  of  their  important  duties,  he  added, 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world;"  thereby  giving  them  to  know,  that,  notwithstand- 
ing they  should  see  him  ascend  into  heaven,  he  would  nev- 
ertheless constantly  be  with  them  in  spirit,  superintending 
and  guiding  all  the  affairs  of  his  church,  and  sustaining 
them  in  all  their  trials,  and  in  all  they  had  to  do.  He  also 
commanded  them  to  continue  at  Jerusalem,  until  they 
should  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high  ;  which  was 
done  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  by  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  them,  according  to  the  ancient  prom- 
ise of  the  Father  by  the  Prophet  Joel.  This  the  Lord 
Jesus  saw,  was  essentially  necessary  for  them  ;  not  in- 
deen  to  enable  them  to  call  and  send  forth  labourers  in- 
to his  vineyard — for  this  he  knew  could  only  be  done 
by  himself,  and  that  it  was  necessary,  strictly  to  reserve 
such  power  and  authority  in  his  own  hands — but  to 
strengthen  and  comfort  their  own  souls,  and  enable  them 
in  the  midst  of  Jewish  prejudices,  and  heathenish  dark- 
ness and  superstition,  successfully  to  administer  his  Ho- 
ly Word,  and  thus  be  instrumental  in  establishing  his 
kingdom  among  men.  They  went  forth  under  this  di- 
vine influence,  in  obedience  to  their  Gracious  Redeemer, 
proclaiming  the  word  every  where.;  the  Lord  working  with 
them,  and  confirming  the  same  with  "  signs,  and  wonders, 
and  divers  miracles  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  accord- 
ing to  his  own  will." 

Finally,  we  learn  from  the  whole,  that,  while  it  is  impossi- 
ble, in  the  nature  and  fitness  of  things,  that  the  Apostles  should 
have  any  successors,  properly  speaking ;  and  that  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  transmit  their  authority  or  gifts  from 
on  high,  to  any  other  men  or  set  of  men,  yet  they  were  fully 
empowered,  not  only  to  preach  the  word,  but  also  to  do 
whatever  was  necessary  for  the  extension  and  advancement 


ON  THE  MINISTRY  31 

of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  ;  that  whenever  they  found  one 
that  had  been  called  to  minister  in  holy  things,  and  quali- 
fied with  the  gifts  and  graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  the 
Great  Head  of  the  Church;  they  were  empowered  to  give 
him  the  sanction  of  the  Church,  by  the  imposition  of  their 
hands.  And  this  kind  and  degree  of  authoiity  they  did, 
according  to  the  Scriptures,  transfer  to  their  successors  ;  not 
to  their  successors  in  the  apostolic  office,  but  in  the  ministry 
of  the  holy  word.  And  hence,  we  find  they  empowered 
Timothy  and  Titus,  with  other  evangelists,  to  aid  them  in 
ordaining  elders  in  every  place.  And  it  is  here  that  we  are 
to  look  for  the  true,  scriptural  successors  of  the  apostles. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  a  point  in  the  investigation  of 
this  subject,  in  which  it  is  necessary  to  notice  the  elders 
more  fully ;  to  show  what  they  were  and  what  was  their 
authority. 

Dr.  Chapman  thinks  that  bishops  succeeded  to  the  apos« 
tolic  office  and  bore  the  highest  authority  in  the  Church  of 
Christ,  in  contradistinction  to  elders  or  presbyters.  We,  on 
the  other  hand,  contend,  that  elder,  presbyter,  and  bishop, 
are  convertible  terms,  and  are  used  to  signify  the  same 
office  and  authority  ;  and,  consequently,  that  the  elders  and 
presbyters  are  the  true  scriptural  bishops,  and  exercised  the 
supreme  rule  and  authority  in  the  Church  of  God. 

This  is  evident,  first,  because  in  Scripture,  the  name 
«' Elder" — presbuteros,^vjhich  signifies  an  overseer,  ruler, 
leader,  presbyter,  senior,  or  elder— and  *' bishop,— epis- 
copos  translated  bishop,  which  signifies  an  overseer,  in- 
spector, or  superintendent-are  used  in  discriminately  to  sig- 
nify the  same  order  and  office  in  the  ministry:"  See  Dr, 
Clark's  Commentary. 

Second:  Because  the  words  bishop  and  elder  are  con- 
vertible terms  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  This  appears  from 
the  following  passages  :  "  A  bishop  must  be  blameless,  one 


32  ON  THE  MINISTRY 

that  ruleth  well  his  own  house,"  "  Let  the  elders  that  rule 
well,"  &c. — 1st  Tim.,  3d  and  5th  ch.  Again:  *' For  this 
cause  left  I  thee  in  Crete,  that  thou  shouldst  set  in  order  the 
things  that  are  wanting,  and  ordain  elders  in  every  city,  as  I 
had  appointed  thee.  If  any  be  blameless,  the  husband  of 
one  wife,  having  faithful  children,  not  accused  of  riot  or 
unruly.  For  a  bishop  must  be  blameless,  as  the  steward  of 
God."— Titus,  1  c.  5  and  7  v.  ;  Heb.  8  c,  7,  17  v. ;  1st 
Thes.  6  c.  12  v.  From  these  portions  of  holy  writ,  it  would 
appear  impossible  for  us  to  avoid  the  conclusion,  that  elders, 
presbyters,  and  bishops,  are  intended  to  signify  the  same 
order  and  office  in  the  ministry. 

Third :  Bishops,  presbyters  and  deacons  are  no  where 
treated  of  in  the  New  Testament  as  three  distinct  orders  or 
grades  :  which  certainly  would  have  been  the  case,  had  they 
been  such.  But  we  frequently  read  of  bishops  or  elders 
and  deacons,  which  evidently  appear  to  be  intended,  by  di- 
vine inspiration,  to  constitute  only  two  distinct  orders.  For 
example:  we  read  in  1st  Phil.  1  c,  "Paul  and  Titus  to  all 
the  saints,  with  the  bishops  and  deacons  ;"  and  in  1st  Tim., 
*' A  bishop  then  must  be  blameless,  likewise  must  the  dea- 
cons be  grave." 

Fourth :  We  find  that,  to  presbyters  and  elders  were  as- 
signed the  work  or  duties  of  a  bishop.  Hence  we  read  in 
Peter,  5  c.  1  2  v.,  "  The  elders  which  are  among  you  I  ex- 
hort, who  also  am  an  elder.  Feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is 
among  you,  taking  the  oversight  thereof,  not  by  constraint, 
but  willingly,"  &c.  And,  in  Acts  20  c,  it  is  said,  Paul 
"  called  the  elders  of  the  Church,  and  said  unto  them,  take 
heed,  therefore,  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  flock,  over 
the  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers."  Of 
this  last  portion  of  Scripture,  Dr.  A.  Clark  gives  the  follow- 
ing explanation:  "Made you  overseers:  Edeto  episcopou& 
appointed  you  bishops  ;  for  so  we  translate  the  original 


ON  THE  MINISTRY  33' 

ivord  in  most  places  where  it  occurs ;  but  overseers,  or  in- 
spectors, is  much  more  proper,  from  epi,  over,  and  skeptomai, 
I  look.  The  persons  who  examine  into  the  spiritual  state  of 
the  flock,  and  take  care  to  lead  them  in  and  out,  and  to  give 
them  pasture,  are  termed  episcopoi,  or  superintendents. 
The  office  of  a  bishop  is  from  God  :  a  true  pastor  only  can 
fulflf  this  office :  it  is  an  office  of  awful  responsibility." 
Again  :  "  That  bishop,  and  presbyter  or  elder,  were  at  this 
time,  of  the  same  order,  and  that  the  word  was  indifferently 
used  for  both."  Such  an  explanation,  from  such  a  profound 
scholar  and  divine,  must  go  very  far,  with  every  candid  en- 
quirer after  truth,  in  establishing  the  doctrine  for  which  we 
contend,  namely,  that  elder,  presbyter,  and  bishop,  are  ac- 
cording to  the  Scriptures,  convertible  terms,  and  are  used 
indifferently,  to  signify  one  and  the  same  order  and  office. 

But  Dr.  Chapman  offers,  as  a  difficulty  in  the  way  of  re- 
ceiving this  doctrine,  that  St.  Paul,  in  his  solemn  and  last 
"charge"  to  the  elders,  did  not  "charge  them"  upon  the 
iubject  of  ordination,  "  but  addressed  them  altogether  upon 
the  subordinate  duties  of  the  ministry."  Now,  in  the  first 
place  it  should  be  observed,  that  it  was  not  necessary,  at 
that  time,  to  tell  them  to  ordain  elders  at  Ephesus,  because 
there  was  already  a  sufficient  number  there  ;  and  it  was  al- 
together sufficient  for  them,  whenever  it  should  become  ne- 
cessary there  or  elsewhere  to  exercise  that  office  in  the 
Church  of  God,  to  be  recognized  by  the  inspired  Apostle  as 
overseers,  superintendents  or  bishops,  who,  in  virtue  of  their 
office,  had  the  right  to  do  so.  Nothing  could  be  wanting  in 
this  matter,  when  the  Apostle  charged  them  , to  fake  charge 
of  and  **  feed  the  flock  of  Christ,  over  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
had  made  them  overseers."  And  it  is  remarkable,  that  he 
does  not,  in  the  slightest  degree,  refer  to  any  authority  that 
fhey  received  from  their  ordination  by  men  ;  although  this 
did  give  them  the  public  sanction  of  the  Church.  But,  as 
5 


34  ON  THE  MINISTRY 

the  principal  source  of  their  authority,  he  refers  them  to 
the  power  and  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  they  had 
received,  and  which  had  led  them  into  the  fold  of  Christ, 
and  prepared  and  moved  them  to  feed  the  flock.  This  is  the 
essential  ordination,  without  which  the  hands  of  all  the 
bishops  in  the  world  are  of  no  avail. 

Fifth  :  Elders  or  presbyters  did  exercise  the  power  to  or^ 
dain,  in  the  Church  of  God;  as  v^ell  as  oversee  and  feed  the 
flock ;  which  certainly  they  would  not  have  done,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  w^ithout  being  reprehended 
by  them,  unless  they  had,  from  the  nature  of  their  office, 
authority  to  do  so.  In  proof  of  this  fact,  we  refer  to  1st 
Tim.  4  c.  14  v.,  where  St.  Paul  addresses  his  son  Timothy 
in  the  following  language  :  **  Neglect  not  the  gift  which  is  in 
thee,  which  was  given  thee  by  prophecy,  with  the  laying  on 
of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery."  We  know  that  in  2d  Tim. 
1  c.  6  v.,  it  is  said,  "  the  gift  of  God"  was  in  Timothy  by  the 
"  laying  on  of  my"  (Paul's)  "hands."  But  it  is  remarkable, 
that  the  Apostle  mentions  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the 
presbytery  first,  as  if  it  was  of  greatest  importance ;  and 
then  afterwards  mentions  the  part  he  took  in  conferring  the 
same  gift,  as  though  it  was  of  minor  importance.  Again, 
it  is  evident  that  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presby- 
tery, and  of  the  hands  of  St.  Paul,  took  place  at  the  same 
time,  as  it  was  intended  to  confer  the  same  gift  from  God, 
But  it  is  enough  for  us  to  know,  that  the  presbyters  or  elders 
of  the  church  did,  in  the  apostolic  age,  and  with  the  apos- 
tolic sanction,  exercise  the  right  of  ordination,  in  virtue  of 
their  office. 

And,  as  if  Divine  Inspiration  foresaw,  and  intended  to 
throw  into  confusion  and  shame,  the  unrighteous  pretension 
to  succession,  we  find,  in  the  sixth  place,  that  inferiors  did 
ordain  their  superiors  in  office,  according  to  the  views  of  the 
Doctor,  by  the  imposition  of  their  hands.     In  support  of 


ON  Tim  MINISTRY  35 

this,  we  refer  to  Acts  13,  where  it  is  said,  ''  Now  there  were 
in  the  Church  at  Antioch,  certain  prophets  and  teachers ; 
as  Barnabas,  and  Simeon  that  was  called  Niger,  and  Lu- 
cius of  Cyrene,  and  Manaen,  which  had  been  brought  up 
with  Herod  the  tetrarch,  and  Saul.  As  they  ministered  to 
the  Lord  and  fasted,  the  Holy  Ghost  said,  Separate  me  Bar- 
nabas and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I  have  called  them. 
And  when  they  had  fasted  and  prayed,  and  laid  their  hands 
on  them,  they  sent  them  away,"  Here  it  is  plain,  inasmuch 
as  Manaen,  Lucius,  and  Simeon  were  not  apostles,  and  as 
they  ordained  St,  Paul — who  was  an  Apostle — for  a  particu- 
lar work  in  the  ministry,  that  they  did  exercise  the  highest 
authority  in  the  church ;  and  that,  too,  in  reference  to  pne 
who  was  their  superior.  There  is  this  remarkable  feature 
in  this  transaction,  that  it  was  done  by  the  special  direction 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  proves,  beyond  all  contradiction, 
that  it  was  right  and  well  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God.  It 
is  true,  this  was  not  done  io  separate  these  men  for  the  first 
time,  to  the  work  of  the  ministry ;  for  this  had  been  done 
long  before,  by  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  without  and 
independent  of,  the  intervention  of  man.  Neither  was  it, 
as  Dr.  J.  E.  Cooke  supposes,  "  Simply  intended  as  a  re- 
commendation to  the  grace  of  God."  This  they  always  had, 
as  Christians,  and  especially  as  ministers  of  Christ ;  for 
without  it  they  could  not  have  been  eithei.  But  it  was  an 
ordmation  to  give  them  the  public  sanction  of  the  Church 
to  a  special  work  of  the  holy  ministry ;  namely  to  go  far 
away  and  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  to  the 
Gentiles, 

Dr.  A  Clark,  in  commenting  on  this  portion  of  Scripture, 
has  said:  "I  shall  dispute  with  no  man  about  the  superior 
excellence  of  the  Episcopal  or  Presbyterian  form,  in  ordi- 
nation ;  if  all  the  preliminaries  be  right,  they  may  both  be 
-equally  good,  for  all  that  I  have  been  able  to  learn  to  the 


-36  ON  THE   MINISTRY 

contrary  ;  but  that  there  should  some  proper  scriptural  form 
be  attended  to,  I  am  fully  satisfied."  It  is  plain,  then,  that 
Dr.  Clark  considered  the  ordination  of  Saul  and  Barnabas 
as  a  proper  scriptural  ordination,  and  that  it  went  far  to 
prove  that  others,  who  were  inferior  to  the  apostles  ;  or,  in 
other  words,  that  the  elders  or  presbyters,  did,  even  in  the 
days  of  the  apostles — and  that,  too,  with  their  sanction,  and 
sometimes  in  reference  to  their  special  work — exercise  the 
highest  rule  and  authority  in  the  Church  of  Chrisf;  and  that 
it  was  not  of  vital  importance,  in  his  estimation,  whether 
we  adoptod  the  Episcopal  or  Presbyterian  form  of  church 
government,  all  things  else  being  right. 

Dr.  J.  E.  Cooke,  Professor  in  the  Medical  Department 
of  Transylvania  University,  Lexington,  who  wrote  sev- 
eral Essays  on  Apostolic  Succession,  apparently  with  the 
intention  to  sustain  Dr.  Chapman,  must  receive  from  us 
a  passing  notice.     He  says  ; 

'*  No  one  disputes  the  truth  that  Bishops  and  Elders  were 
pames  of  the  same  office,"  and  that  this  "is  not  even  the 
question  in  dispute."  Whereas  Dr.  Chapman,  from  whom 
; — as  we  suppose — he  has  derived  the  most  of  his  informa- 
tion on  the  subject,  asserts  that,  "there  are  three  orders; 
the  lower  cannot  perform  the  prescribed  duties  of  the  high- 
er." This  statement  must  be  kept  in  memory.  It  is  what 
.civilians    would  term  the    very   gist  of  the  controversy. 

Again,  that,  "Presbyters,  are  the  second  order  in  the  min. 
istry,  and  subordinate  to  Bishops"  pp.  24  &  30.  We  can- 
not, therefore,  say  with  Dr.  Cooke,  that  no  one  disputes 
that  Elder  and  Bishop,  are  names  of  the  same  office  ;  for 
it  is  disputed  by  Dr.  Chapman.  But  we  are  confident  no 
one  should  dispute  it,_as  it  is  so  plainly  set  forth  in  the  holy 
scriptures,  that  Elder  or  Bishop  are  convertible  terms,  and 
intended  to  exhibit  one  and  the  same  thing. 

lu  this  argument,  then,  against  the  doctrine  of  Succes- 
sion, we  have  Dr.  Cooke  on  our  side,  as  well  as  scripture, 


ON  THE  MINISTRY  37 

reason,  and  a  host  of  good  and  great  men  of  different  ages, 
and  churches.  And  as  Dr.  Chapman  makes  the  subordi- 
nation of  Elders  to  Bishops  the  gist  of  the  controversy,  we 
we  think  the  whole  matter  is  fairly  decided  in  our  favor. 

But  after  Dr.  Cooke  has  honestly   conceded  the  truth, 
that  Elder  and  Bishop  are  names  signifying  the  same  office, 
— which  is   in  direct  opposition  to   Dr.  Chapman— he  en- 
deavors  to  change  the  point  in  dispute,  to  another  ground, 
and  says,  "  The  question  is  whether  or  not  there  was  in  the 
church  in  those  times,  an  officer  superior  to  these  Presby- 
ters or  Bishops."     And,  to  show  that  there  was,  he  states 
the  fact,  that  Timothy  who  was  an  Evangelist,  did  appoint, 
and  rule.  Elders.     It  will  be  readily  perceived,  that  this 
argument  is  based  upon  the  supposition,  that  he  who  ap- 
points, or  sends,  must  necessarily  be  greater  in  order,  as 
well  as  in  office,  than  he  who  is  sent ;  which  by  the  way, 
is  not  always  the  case.     But,  suppose  we  grant  this  for  ar- 
gument's sake.     What  do  we  find  as  the  result  ?    First; 
Timothy  sent  by  the  Apostles  was  less  than  the  Apostles ; 
and  then  we  have  the  Elders,  or  Bishops,  and  Deacons, 
two  orders  still  inferior  to  Timothy,  making  at  once,  four 
distinct  orders  in  the  ministry;  which  is  as  contrary  to  the 
object  of  Dr.  Cooke,  as  it  is  to  the  avowed  doctrine  of  Dr. 
Chapman.     Hence  we  see  the  Doctor's  argument  proves 
too  much,  and  therefore  proves  nothing.     It  is  evident  the 
Doctor  did  not  understand  the  nature  of  the  question  about 
which  he  was  contending.     And  no   wonder ;  for  he  had 
beea  but  a  few  days  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  succes- 
sion, when  he  attempted  to  write.     The  question,  however, 
instead  of  being  what  he  supposed  it,  is.  How  did  the 
Apostles  organize  the  church  ?     How  many  distinct  orders 
of  ministers  did  they  leave  behind  them  ?    And  what  order 
did  they  leave  to  fill  and  sustain  the  highest  office  in  the 
jchurch,  after  they  had  passed  away  and  gone  to  their  re^ 
ward  ? 


38  ON  THE  MINIS  iRY 

It  is  easy  for  any  one  to  understand  that  it  would  not  be 
right  for  us  to  conclude,  because  there  were  Apostles,  Evan- 
gelists, and  Prophets,  Teachers,  Pastors,  and  Elders,  Pres- 
byters, or  Bishops,  and  Deacons,  &c. — different  names  for 
several  offices,  but  not  for  distinct  orders  in  the  Apostolic 
Age — that  we  must  therefore  have  as  many  different  orders 
now,  in  the  Christian  Church,  as  there  were  names  of  office 
in  that  day.  This  would  be  as  inconsistent  with  scripture, 
as  the  views  taken  by  Doctor  Cooke.  And  to  arrive  at  any 
proper  conclusion,  as  to  what  would  be  the  best  organiza- 
tion of  the  Christian  Ministry  now,  we  must,  in  searching 
the  sacred  volume,  look,  especially,  to  what  the  Apostles 
left  behind  them ;  and  in  doing  so,  we  are  convinced  they 
left  only  two  distinct  orders,  Elders,  Presbyters,  or  Bishops, 
as  they  were  indifferently  called,  as  the  highest  in  rule,  or 
authority;  and  Deacons,  the  lowest  order,  to  assist  them. 

If  any  thing  could  be  gained  on  the  score  of  Dr.  Cooke's 
argument,  it  would  be  in  favor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church;  for  there  is  a  striking  similitude  between  the  ar- 
rangement of  its  ministry,  and  that  of  the  Apostolic  Age. 
Her  itinerating  Bishops,  answer  to  the  Apostles.  Her  pre- 
siding Elders,  chosen  and  sent  out  by  the  Bishops,  to  aid 
them  in  their  special  work,  in  superintending  the  affairs  of 
the  church  in  their  absence,  answer  to  the  Evangelists  ;  and 
her  Elders,  and  Deacons,  answer  to  the  Elders,  and  Dea- 
cons. But  although  she  has  so  many  distinct  offices,  she 
acknowledges  but  two  distinct  orders,  viz  :  Elders,  or  Bish- 
ops, who  are  Elders,  and  Deacons,  because  she  would  take 
the  Holy  Scriptures  as  her  all  sufficient  rule,  both  for  her 
faith  and  practice.     See  Discipli7ie. 


SCHISM  3& 


CHAPTERIV. 

Schism — A   proper  Separation  from  a  Corrupt   Church — Defence  of 
Wesley  &  Coke  in  establishing   the    M,  E.    Cliurch   in   America. 

In  claiming  Apostolic  Succession  for  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  to  which  he  belongs,  and  at  whose  altar 
he  has  the  happiness  to  minister,  our  author  brings  into 
view  the  sin  of  schism;  over  which  he  bitterly  laments,  as 
every  good  man  should.  He  defines  it,  "A  departure  from 
Apostolic  authority,  and  usage." 

This  definition  will  do  well  enough  in  itself ;  but  accord- 
ing to  the  tenor  of  his  reasoning,  we  are  led  to  understand 
that  he  means,  by  this,  to  say,  that  all  those  churches 
which  cannot  claim  Apostolic  Succession,  are  guilty  of  the 
sin  of  schism  ;  having  departed,  in  his  estimation,  from 
Apostolic  authority.  All  the  different  branches  of  the 
Church,  excepting  his  own,  and  the  Catholic,  should,  there- 
fore, be  held  as  schismatics  ;  and  of  course  unworthy  of 
the  christian  name.  This  is  taking  a  bold  stand  ;  and  were 
the  definition  true,  we  should  all  make  haste  to  repent  of 
our  sins,  and  turn  with  deep  humility;  seek  for  admittance 
into  the  bosom  of  the  true  Apostolic  Church — which,  our 
author  would  have  us  believe,  is  his  own — and  receive  the 
holy  sacraments  at  her  altar,  acknowledging  her  ministers 
as  the  only  truly  authorised  ministers  of  God's  word. 

But  in  answer  to  the  Doctor,  we  have  to  say,  First ;  His 
definition  is  not  strictly  correct.  For  schism,  in  its  sim- 
ple signification,  means  a  separation,  or  division  in  the 
Church  of  God  ;  much  of  which  prevailed  in  the  earliest 
ages.  Indeed,  while  the  Apostles  were  still  alive  it  was 
said,  "  I  am  of  Apollos,  I  am  of  Cephas,  and  I  am  of 
Christ." 


i 

40  SCHISM 

Again  ;  we  find  that  *'  Asia  was  very  early  distinguished! 
by  several  sorts  of  christians  ;  as,  those  of  Palestine,  under 
the  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem.  The  Syrians,  under  the  Patri- 
arch of  Antioch.  The  Armenians,  under  the  two  Catholic 
Patriarchs.  The  Georgians,  under  their  respective  Metro- 
politans ;  and  the  Mongrelians,  Circassians,  and  Christians 
of  Asia  Minor,  under  the  Constantinopolitan  Patriarch. 
A  few  Christians,  in  the  same  quarter  of  the  globe,  under 
the  Patriarch  of  Moscow.  The  Nestorians,  under  the  Pa- 
triarch of  Mousul.  The  Jacobites,  Monophysites,  under 
their  peculiar  Patriarch.  The  Christians  of  St.  Thomas, 
and  lastly  the  Moronites,  under  their  own  Patriarch." 

"  To  these  Asian  Christians,  might  be  added  those  who 
were  subject  to  the  Emir  of  Sidon.  The  Mordwits,  be- 
tween the  Russias  and  Tartary  ;  and  the  Christians  inhab- 
iting the  great  Isle  of  Tarabana,  and  the  Island  adjoining 
Africa,  in  like  manner,  has  had  it  divisions  of  Christians; 
particularly  the  Egyptians,  or  Copts,  under  the  Patriarch, 
of  Alexandria,  and  the  Ethiopian  Christians  subject  to 
their  Abunna,  or  Patriarch  of  Ethiopia."  See  J.  Nightin- 
gale's All  Religions,  pp.  85. 

And  besides  these,  how  many  hundreds  and  thousands 
might  be  mentioned,  as  having  existed  in  different  parts  of 
the  world,  and  in  all  ages,  down  to  the  present  time  ! 
Much  of  these  separations,  no  doubt  originated  in  destruc- 
tive error,  bitterness  and  strife,  which  led  to  the  sin  of 
schism  ;  against  which,  every  lo»ver  of  peace  and  union, 
should  raise  his  voice  at  all  times,  in  the  sternest  and  most 
decisive  tones  ;  inasmuch,  as  it  generally  originates  with 
evil,  designing  men,  who  have  not  been  faithful  and  dili- 
gent in  cherishing  and  improving  the  christian  graces.  In 
consequence  of  this,  they  have  fallen  into  a  lukewarm  and 
backslidden  state ;  and  are,  as  a  necessary  result,  prepared 
for  strife,  and  contention,  and  every  evil  work. 


SCHISM  41 

But  must  we  conclude  that  all  separation,  or  division,  of 
the  church,  has  been  brought  about  in  the  same  way  ?  and 
must  we  consequently  charge  every  separate  division  of  the 
church  with  the  sin  of  schism  ?  If  so,  the  Doctor  will  see 
at  oilce  that  he  has  gone  too  far,  and  proven  too  much,  for 
the  honor  of  his  own  church.  For  she,  too,  must  be  con- 
sidered as  a  separate  division  from  the  original  stock  ;  in- 
asmuch as  she  is  not  only  a  separate  and  distinct  body,  in 
this  country ;  but,  has  derived  her  ordination  and  egtab- 
lishment  from  the  Church  of  England,  which  itself  originai- 
ted  in  a  separation  from  the  Church  of  Rome.  But  who, 
besides  the  Catholics,  will  blame  the  Church  of  England 
for  this,  and  say  she  has  been  guilty  of  a  departure  from 
Apostolic  Authority  and  usage?  when  she  only  renounced 
the  errors,  and  sins  of  Popery ;  while  she  held  to  all  that 
was  got)d  and  praiseworthy  in  the  Mother  Church  ;  and 
thus  did  nothing  more  than  bring  about  a  salutary  reform, 
which  has,  perhaps  eventuated  in  the  salvation  of  thousands' 
who  otherwise  might  have  been  lost. 

And  who  will  blame  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churcli 
for  her  separation,  when  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  avoid 
it  ?  seeing  that  this  country  was  providentially  separated 
from  the  Mother  Country,  both  in  a  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
point  of  view.  Many  may  be  excused,even  by  the  Searcher  of 
all  hearts,  who  have  been  instrumental  in  creating  a  sepa- 
ration from  the  church  to  which  they  belonged,  and  form- 
ing a  distinct  branch  of  the  church  ;  seeing  that  they  hon- 
estly differed  with  their  brethren  in  reference  to  the  essen- 
tial truths  of  the  Gospel. 

But  nothing  of  this  kind  can  be  attributed,  either  to  the 
Protestant,  or  Methodist  Episcopal,  Church.  They  were — 
so  far  as  it  related  to  the  original  members — without  the 
name  at  present  attached  to  them,  and  willing  to  die  in  the 
Church  of  England.  Nor  did  they  seek,  in  anywise,  to 
break  with,  or  to  separate  from,  her.     The  revolutionary 


42  Defence  of 

war  brought  about  a  full,  and  final,  separation,  of  the  two- 
countries  ;  and  in  this  way,  God,  in  his  providence,  saw- 
fit  to  make  us  independent,  and  free.  And,  without  saying 
more  in  this  respect  for  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church — 
as  we  might  do — we  observe  that  the  Methodists  in  this 
country,  applied  to  Mr.  Wesley,  whom  they  justly  esteem- 
ed as  their  father  in  the  Gospel,  for  advice,  and  direction. 
By  his  means,  and  according  to  his  own  plan — which  was 
no  doubt  according  to  the  will  of  God — they  were  formed 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1784,  into  an  independent  branch 
of  the  Christian  Church,  and  took  the  denomination,  which 
they  have  borne  since  that  period.  Hence  it  is  easily  un- 
derstood, and  will  be  acknowledged,  by  every  true  and  hon- 
est christian,  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  cannot 
be  charged  with  wilful  separation ;  and  much  less  with  the 
sin  of  schism.  She  did  not  derive  her  existence  from  strife, 
secession,  wilful  separation,  or  schism  ;  but  from  the  over- 
ruling, and  inscrutable  providence  of  God  ;  and  may  be 
said,  truly,  to  be  a  heaven-born  child.  It  was  some  years- 
after  this,  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  took  its 
name  and  existence,  in  this  country.  And  hence  it  may 
be  remarked,  she  is  a  younger  sister  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

But  after  all,  in  order  to  disparage,  and  make  the  M.  E= 
Church  appear  guilty,  our  author  says,  that  we  "  had  our 
origin  in  the  partial  secession  of  a  pious  and  talented  Pres- 
byter of  the  Church  of  England  ;"  viz,  J.  Wesley.  We  are 
gratified  to  find  the  Doctor  constrained  to  acknowledge 
that  Mr.  Wesley  was  pious,  and  talented ;  and,  moreover, 
that  he  was  a  Presbyter.  But,  we  can  but  be  astonished, 
at  the  charge  of  any  thing  like  secession  from  the  Church 
of  England  ;  when  it  is  known  to  all  men  who  know  any 
thing  of  Mr.  Wesley,  that — so  far  was  he  from  any  thing 
of  the  kind — he  not  only  preached  her  doctrines,  sub- 
mitted to  her  discipline,  and  lived  and  died  in  her  commu- 
nion ;  but  constantly  urged  it  upon  all  who  came  under 


WESLEY  &  COKE  43 

^is  peculiar  scripture  rules  for  holy  living,  to  remain  in,  and 
be  faithful  to,  her.  Indeed  it  was  for  being  rigid  in  refer- 
ence  to  the  best  doctrines,  held  by  the  Church  of  England, 
and  thereby  endeavoring  te  reform  the  lives,  and  manners 
of  the  licentious,  and  lukewarm,  who  were  a  disgrace  to 
the  church  ,  and  thereby  to  bring  her  back  to  her  original 
purity,  that  he  was  called  a  Methodist,  and  suffered  much 
persecution.  But  never  was  he  suspected  of,  or  charged 
with,  anything  like  an  attempt  at  secession. 

But  our  author  appears  to  be  as  little  acquainted,  with 
the  doctrines  and  government  of  the  Methodists,  in  this 
country — whom  he  pleases  to  style,  the  ''disciples  of  Wes- 
ley"— as  he  is  with  their  origin.  He  says,  "  While  they  re- 
ject in  terms,  the  ministry  of  Presbyters,  they  do  but  con- 
form in  terms  to  that  of  Bishop  ;"  whereas  the  truth  is, 
we  do  not  reject  in  terms,  or  any  other  way,  the  ministry 
of  Presbyters.  We  have  Presbyters,  or  Elders,  as  we  most- 
ly call  tliem  ;  and  believe  with  Mr.  Wesley,  and  many  oth- 
ers of  the  most  pious,  and  talented  divines  of  the  Church 
of  England,  that  Presbyter,  Elder  and  Bishop,  are  different 
names  for  the  same  office,  or  order,  in  the  ministry. 

And  it  is  also  true,  that  we  not  only  conform  in  terms  to 
the  ministry  of  Bishops  ;  but  we  fully  believe  with  Mr. 
Wesley,  that  the  Episcopal  form  of  church  government 
is  upon  the  whole  best,  for  the  unity  and  prosperity  of  the 
Church.  Following  therefore  the  ancient,  and  scriptutal 
practice,  we  choose,  when  it  is  necessary,  some  from 
among  the  Elders  ;  and  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  set 
them  apart  to  superintend,  and  exercise  the  supreme  rule 
and  authority  over  the  church  of  God.  And  these  Bishops 
have  hitherto,  proved  themselves  to  be  the  true  shepherds 
of  the  flock.  They  have  not  sat  down  at  ease,  arid  in  lux- 
urious affluence,  fleecing  the  flock  or  leaving  them,  by  their 
negligence,  and  effeminence,  to  perish  in  the  wilderness, 
and  be  devoured  by  the  prowling  wolf  of  Hell ;  but  with 


44  DEFENCE,  &C 

care  and  diligence  they  feed  the  flock  of  Christ,  over  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  has  made  them  overseers.  The  whole 
continent  of  America  is  their  diocese  ;  and  the  care  of  the 
whole  church  comes  upon  them  daily.  Like  the  original 
itinerating  Bishops  and  Apostles,  they  travel  on  through 
good  and  evil  report ;  and  in  the  discharge  of  their  highly 
responsible  duties,  can  truly  say,  "  In  necessities,  in  afflic- 
tions, and  distresses  often,  and  in  labors  more  abundant." 
For  a  Bishop,  among  us,  is  our  highest  officer,  called  on  to 
endure  the  greatest  share  of  privation,  and  perform  the 
most  labor;  and  at  the  same  time,  receives  no  greater  com- 
pensation than  the  rest  of  his  brethren. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  the  great  secret  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter ;  for  these  are  the  Bishops  that  are  so  much  in  the  Doc- 
tor's way,  that,  if  possible— in  order  to  carry  his  point,  and 
to  exalt  his  own,  at  the  expense  of  others— he  must  set 
aside  their  authority,  and  disparage  their  office.  And  to  do 
this,  he,  in  the  next  place,  gives  an  unrighteous  account — 
as  we  shall  gresently  show  it  to  be — of  the  intentions,  ac^ 
tions,  and  transactions  of  Wesley  and  Coke,  in  the  organs 
nation  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  America. 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  45 


CHAPTER    V. 

C%?-pman's  misrepresentations  of  Wesley  and  Coke,  in  reference  to  the 
origination  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America,  refuted; 

After  improperly  charging  Mr.  Wesley  with  a  partial  se- 
cession from  the  Church  of  England,  and  referring  to  this  as 
the  origin  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Dr.  Chapman 
would  make  it  appear  that  he  was  ambiguous  in  his  views 
concerning  the  Christian  Ministry.  And  he  thus  attempts 
to  support  this  opinion  :  "What  his  (Mr.  Wesley's)  precise 
views  were  upon  the  Christian  Ministry,  is  now  difficult  to 
ascertain.  At  one  time,  he  would  seem  to  discard  episco- 
pacy, and  at  another,  to  have  retained  it.  Even  in  one  let- 
ter, he  says  that  bishops  and  presbyters  are  the  same  order, 
and  consequently  have  the  same  right  to  ordain ;  and  yet  he 
was  determined  as  little  as  possible  to  violate  the  established 
rules  of  the  national  church,  to  which  he  belonged ;  and 
then  he  speaks  of  the  English  bishops,  as  having  a  legal  ju^ 
risdiction ;  which  appears  to  imply  the  right  of  the  civil 
government  to  mould  the  Christian  Church  and  its  ministry, 
agreeable  to  its  convictions  of  the  prevailing  necessity  or 
expediency." 

However  obscure  Dr.  C.  may  consider  Mr.  Wesley's  view^s 
upon  the  Christian  Ministry  to  have  been,  he  certainly  can- 
not  find  evidence  of  that  obscurity  in  the  above  extract,  or 
the  letter  from  which  it  is  taken.  On  the  contrary,  there  is 
a  clear  and  obvious  sense  throughout  the  whole.  He  plainly 
and  emphatically  declares,  that,  "  bishops  and  presbyters 
are  the  same  order,  and  consequently  have  the  same  right 
to  ordain."  In  this,  he  clearly  expresses  his  view  of  the 
Christian  Ministry;  and  there  is  no  departure  from,  or  con- 


46  MISREPRESENTATIONS   REFUTED 

tradiction  of,  this  view,  when  he  adds  that  he  was  deter- 
mined  as  little  as  possible  to  violate  the  established  order 
of  the  National  Church,  in  which  the  bishops  have  legal  ju- 
risdiction. 

For  the  better  understanding  of  this  question,  I  will  give 
the  whole  of  Mr.  Wesley's  letter,  referred  to  by  Dr.  Chap- 
man: 

"  Bristol,  Sept.  iOth,  1784. 

"  To  Dr.  Coke,   Mr.   Asbury,  and  our  brethren  in  North 
America. 

"  By  a  very  uncommon  train  of  providences,  many  of 
the  provinces  in  North  America  are  totally  disjoined  from 
the  Mother  Country  and  erected  into  independent  states. 
The  English  government  has  no  authority  over  them,  either 
civil  or  ecclesiastical,  any  more  than  over  the  states  of  Hol- 
land. A  civil  authority  is  exercised  over  them,  partly  by 
the  Congress  and  partly  by  the  Provincial  Assemblies. 
But  no  one  either  exercises  or  claims,  any  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority at  all.  In  this  peculiar  situation,  some  thousands  of 
the  inhabitants  of  these  States  desire  my  advice  :  and  ,in 
compliance  with  this  desire,  I  have  drawn  up  a  little  sketch. 

"Lord  King's  account  of  the  primitive  church,  convinced 
me  many  years  ago,  that  bishops  and  presbyters  are  the 
sam.e  order,  and  consequently  have  the  same  right  to  or- 
dain. For  many  years  I  have  been  importuned  to  exercise 
this  right,  by  ordaining  part  of  our  travelling  preachers. 
But  I  had  still  refused,  not  only  for  peace  sake,  but  because 
I  w^as  determined  as  little  as  possible  to  violate  the  estab- 
lished order  of  the  National  Church,  to  which  I  belong. 

*'  But  the  case  is  widely  diflferent  between  England  and 
America.  Here  there  are  bishops  ivho  have  a  legal  juris- 
diction ;  in  America  there  are  none,  neither  any  parish  min- 
isters. So  that,  for  many  hundreds  of  miles  together,  there 
is  none  either  to  baptize  or  to  administer  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Here,  therefore,  my  scruples  are  at  an  end ;  and  I  consider 
myself  at  full  liberty,  as  I  violate  no  order  and  invade  no 
man's  right,  by  appointing  arid  sending  laborers  into  the 
harvest. 

I  have,  accordingly,  appointed  Dr.  Coke  and  Mr.  Francis 
Asbury,  to  be  joint  superintendents  over  our  brethren  in 
North  America :  as  also  Richard  Whatcoat  and  Thomas 


MISREPRESENTATIONS   REFUTED  47 

Vasey,  to  act  as  elders  among  them,  by  baptizing  and  ad- 
ministering the  Lord's  Supper.  And  I  have  prepared  a 
liturgy,  little  differing  from  that  of  the  Church  of  England, 
(I  think  the  best  constituted  national  church  in  the  world,) 
which  1  advise  all  the  travelling  preachers  to  use  on  the 
Lord's  day,  in  all  the  congregations  ;  reading  the  liturgy  only 
on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  and  praying  extempore  on  all 
other  days.  I  also  advise  the  elders  to  administer  the  Sup- 
per of  the  Lord  on  every  Lord's  day. 

"  If  any  one  will  point  out  a  more  rational  and  scriptural 
way  of  feeding  and  guiding  these  poor  sheep  in  the  wilder- 
ness, I  will  gladly  embrace  it.  At  present,  I  cannot  see 
any  better  method  than  that  I  have  taken. 

_ "  It  has,  indeed,  been  proposed,  to  desire  the  English 
bishops  to  ordain  part  of  our  preachers  for  America.  But 
to  this  I  object :  1st,  I  desired  the  Bishop  of  London  to  or- 
dain me,  but  could  not  prevail.  2d,  If  they  consented,  we 
know  the  slowness  of  their  proceedings ;  but  the  matter  ad- 
mits of  no  delay.  3d,  If  they  were  to  ordain  them  now, 
they  would  expect  to  govern  them  ;  and  how  grievously 
would  this  entangle  us.  4;  As  our  American  brethren  are  now 
totally  disentangled,  both  from  the  state,  and  English  hier- 
archy, we  dare  not  entangle  them  again,  either  with  the  one 
or  the  other.  They  are  now  at  full  liberty,  simply  to  follow 
the  Scriptures  and  primitive  Church.  And  we  judge  it  best 
that  they  should  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  God 
hath  so  strangely  made  them  free. 

"JOHN  WESLEY." 

"  Now,  having  the  whole  of  the  letter  before  us,  I  would 
ask,  is  there"  any  ambiguity  in  it?  Can  there  be  any  difii- 
culty  in  understanding  it?  Could  Mr.  Wesley,  so  far  as  he 
speaks  of  the  Christian  Ministry,  in  this  letter,  use  more 
clear  and  explicit  terms,  in  expressing  his  views  ?  He  tells 
us  plainly  and  unequivocally,  that  he  had  been  long  convin- 
ced that  "bishops  and  presbyters  are  the  same  order." 

By  adverting  to  his  journal,  of  January  20,  1746,  we  find 
that  this  had  been  his  opinion  for  about  thirty-eight  years. 
His  language  is  as  follows  :  "  I  read  our  Lord  King's  ac- 
count of  the  primitive  Church.  In  spite  of  the  vehement 
prejudice  of  my  education,  I  was  ready  to  believe  that  this 


48  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

was  a  fdit  and  impartial  draught.  But,  if  so,  it  would  fol- 
low that  bishops  and  presbyters  are  essentially  of  one 
order."    Vol.  2,  p.  332. 

It  is  true,  that  this  long  established  view  of  the  Christian 
Ministry  stood  in   direct  opposition  to  the  plea  of  Divine 
right  of  Diocesan  Episcopacy.     And  hence  Mr.   Wesley 
discarded  that  kind  of  Episcopacy,  and  treated  with  con- 
tempt, the  doctrine  of  the  necessity  of  Episcopal  or  Apos- 
tolic succession.    But  his  views  were  no  wise  opposed  to  a 
scriptural  Episcopacy,  or  an  Episcopal  form  of  Church  Gov- 
ernment.    This  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  sixteenth 
vol.  of  his  works,  p.  26,  where  he  says,   "  As  to  my  own 
judgment,   I  still  believe  the  Episcopal  form  of  Church 
Government,  to    be    scriptural  and   apostolic.      I   mean, 
well  agreeing  with  practice  and  writing  of  the  Apostles. 
That  it  is  prescribed  in  scripture,  I  do  not  believe.     This 
opinion,  which  I  once  zealously  espoused,  I  have  been 
heartily  ashamed  of,  ever  since  I  read  Bishop  Stillingfleet's 
Ironicon.      I    think  he    has    unanswerably    proved,    that 
neither  Christ,  nor  his  Apostles,  prescribe  any  particular 
form  of  Church  Government,  and  that  the  plea  of  divine- 
right  of  Diocesan  Episcopacy,  was  never  heard  of  in  the 
primitive  Church," — And  in  p.  35,  he    adds;   "Concern- 
ing Diocesan  Episcopacy,    there  are  several  questions   I 
should  be  glad  to  have  answered.     1st.  Where  is  it  pre- 
scribed  in   scripture? — 2d.    How  does   it  appear   that  the 
Apostles  settled  it  in  all  the  Churches  they  planted?     3d. 
How  does  it  appear  that  they  so  settled  it  in  any,    as  to 
make  it  of  perpetual  obligation  ?     It  is  allowed  Christ  and 
his  Apostles  did  put  the  Churches  under  some  form  of  gov- 
ernment  or  other.     But,   1st.   Did  they  put  [all  Churches 
under  the  same  precise  form  ?     If  they  did,   2d.,  Can  we 
prove  this  to  have  been  the  very  same  which  now  remains" 
in  the  Church  of  England  ?" 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  49^ 

Where  now  is  the  charge  of  ambiguity  ?  Are  not  Mr. 
Wesley's  views  of  the  Christian  Ministry  clear,  consistent,- 
tiniforin  and  scriptuial  ?  and  are  they  not  expressed  in  lan- 
guage the  most  plain  and  emphatic  ? 

But  is  it  asked,  Why  did  Mr.  Wesley,  being  a  Presbyter, 
or  Scriptural  Bishop,  according  to  his  own  views,  con- 
tinue to  refuse  to  ordain  some  of  his  travelling  preachers  for 
England  ;  notwithstanding  he  was  frequently  pressed  so' 
to  do  ?  The  answer  is  given  by  Mr.  Wesley  himself.  He 
tells  us  plainly  it  was  ''for  peace'  sake,"  and  that  he  was 
"  determined  as  little  as  possible  to  violate  the  established 
order  of  the  National  Church  to  which"  he  ''belonged." 
In  that  Church,  there  were  Bishops,  who  had  legal  jurisdic- 
tion ;  and  of  course,  the  only  officers  under  that  order  of 
things,  who  had  legal  right  to  ordain.  These  were  his  rea- 
sons ;  and  not  that  he,  for  a  moment,  doubted  his  scriptur- 
al right  to  ordain. 

The  matter  before  us  is  plain;  and  1  would  now  ask,  Why 
is  it  that— notwithstanding  Mr.  Wesley's  views  of  the 
Christian  Ministry  are  set  forth  as  clear  as  light — Dr.  Chap- 
man  would  throw,  if  possible,  a  mystery  around  them?  Is 
it  not  because  he  dreaded  the  influence  of  the  views  and 
sentiments  of  that  "pious  and  talented  Presbyter,"  as  he 
was  pleased  to  call  him,  when  brought  to  bear  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Apostolic  succession  ?  Or  was  it  the  better  to  make 
way  for  the  declaration  of  the  most  egregious  error,  concern- 
ing Mr.  Wesley's  ordination  of  Dr.  Coke,  as  superintendent 
for  America?  Of  this  transaction  Dr.  Chapman  says,  p. 
25 — "No  such  power  was  claimed," — that  is  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Wesley — "and  no  such  promotion  was  intended" — as 
the  ordination  of  Dr.  Coke,  to  the  Episcopal  office  for 
America — And  in  addition  to  this  declaration,  Dr.  Chap- 
man would  have  us  believe,  that  when  Mr.  Wesley,  with 
Other  Presbyters,  imposed  hands  on  Dr.  Coke,  nothing 
"  more  was  intended  than  the  blessing  of  a  good  old  man, 
7 


50  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTEI> 

on  his  fellow  labourer  in  the  ministry  ;"  thus  endeavour- 
ing to  place  Mr.  Wesley  and  Dr.  Coke  before  the  world,  in 
the  most  ludicrous  light. 

To  support  these  assertions,  Dr.  Chapman  produces  the 
following  extract  of  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Wesley  to  Mr. 
Asbury  some  years  after  the  organization  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  this  country.  **  In  one  point,  my 
dear  brother,  I  am  a  little  afraid  both  the  Dr.  and  you  dif- 
fer  from  me.  I  study  to  be  little;  you  study  to  be  great. 
I  creep;  you  strut  along.  I  found  a  school;  you,  a  College. 
Nay,  and  call  it  after  your  own  name  !  0  beware  !  Do 
not  seek  to  be  something!  Let  me  be  nothing,  and  Christ 
be  all  in  all.  One  instance  of  this  your  greatness  has  giv- 
en me  great  concern.  How  can  you,  how  dare  you,  suffer 
yourself  to  be  called  a  Bishop  ?  I  shudder,  I  start  at  the 
very  thought.  Men  may  call  me  a  knave  or  a  fool,  a  ras- 
cal, a  scoundrel,  and  I  am  content ;  but  they  never  shall, 
by  my  consent,  call  me  a  Bishop.  For  my  sake,  for  God's 
sake,  put  a  full  end  to  this  f  Let  the  Presbyterians  do 
what  they  please  ;  but  let  the  Methodist  know  their  calling 
better." 

This  famous  letter  was  first  published  by  the  Rev.  Hen. 
ry  Moore,  the  personal  friend,  and  authentic  biographer  of 
Mr.  Wesley.  The  explanatory  remarks  made  by  Mr.  Moore, 
show  in  what  sense  the  letter  is  to  be  understood  ;  and' 
will  clearly  reconcile  Mr.  Wesley's  views  on  this  subject. 

Mr.  Moore  says;  "  Mr.  Wesley  well  knew  the  difference 
between  the  office  and  the  title.  He  knew  and  felt  the  ar- 
duous duties,  and  the  high  responsibility  which  attached 
to  one,  and  the  comparative  nothingness  of  the  other. 
He  gave  to  those  **Episcopi,'  (Bishops)  whom  he  ordained, 
the  modest,  but  highly  expressive,  title  of  Superinten- 
dents ;  and  desired  that  no  other  should  be  used.  His  ob- 
jection to  the  title  of  Bishop  arose  from  his  hatred  of  all 
display.'*  (See  Moore's  life  of  Wesley,  vol.  2,  pp.  278, 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  51 

289.)  ''Mr.  Asbury  was  of  opinion  that  the  unpleasant 
expressions  were  occasioned  by  the  misrepresentations  of 
others." 

JNothing  more  is  necessary  to  show  that  Mr.  Wesley's  ob- 
jection to  Mr.  Asbury,  was,  that  he  wore  the  name  of  Bish- 
op ;  and  not  that  he  exercised  the  Episcopal  office.  That 
Mr.  Wesley  did  claim  power  to  ordain  Dr.  Coke,  Superin- 
tendent, or — which  is  the  same  thing — Bishop,  for  the 
Methodist  Societies  in  America,  when  he,  with  othei  Pres- 
byters of  the  Church  of  England,  laid  hands  on  him,  is  evi- 
dent; 

1st  From  the  letter  already  referred  to  ;  in  which,  in  con- 
nexion with  the  expression  of  his  opinion,  that  Bishops 
and  Presbyters  are  one  in  office,  and  have  the  same  right 
to  ordain  ;  he  says,  he  had  been  **  importuned  from  time  to 
time  to  exercise  that  right,  by  ordaining  part"  of  the  "trav- 
elling preachers,"  in  connexion  with  him  for  England. 
That  he  had  refused  for  "peace'  sake;"  he  would  not  "vio- 
late the  established  order  of  the  National  Church.  But  the 
case  was  widely  different  between  England  and  North 
America  ;"  and  adds,  "  I  have  accordingly  appointed  Dr. 
Coke."  By  this  appointment  he  could  mean  nothing  less 
than  ordination,  according  to  the  connexion  in  which  it 
stands. 

2nd.  Mr.  Wesley  unequivocally  asserts  that  he  believed 
himself  to  be  "as  scriptural  (Episcopos,  Bishopj  as  much 
as  any  man  in  England  or  Europe."  (See  Moore's  Life  of 
Wesley,  vol,  2  p.  260.)  And  this  he  asserted  in  direct  ref- 
erence to  his  acting  as  Bishop  in  ordaining  Dr.  Coke,  in 
reply  to  the  remarks  of  his  brother  Charles. 

3.  In  addressing  Dr,Coke,previous  to  his  ordination,  Mr, 
Wesley  says,  as  he  had  invariably  endeavoured  in  every 
step  he  had  taken,  to  keep  as  close  to  the  Bible  as  pos- 
sible; so,  on  the  present  occasion,  he  hoped  he  was  not 
-about  to  deviate  from  it.     That,  keeping  his  eye  upon  the 


62  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

(Conduct  of  the  primitive  Churches,  in  the  ages  of  unadul- 
terated Christianity,  he  had  much  admired  the  mode  of  or- 
daining Bishops,  which  the  church  of  Alexandria  had  prac^ 
tised.  That  to  preserve  its  purity,  that  chuich  would  not 
suffer  the  interference  of  a.  foreign  Bishop,  in  any  of  their 
ordinations  ;  but  that  the  Presbyters  of  that  venerable 
Apostolic  church,  on  the  death  of  a  Bishop,  exercised  the 
right  of  ordaining  another  from  their  own  body,  by  the  lay- 
ing on  of  their  own  hands  ;  and  that  this  practice  contin- 
ued  among  them  for  two  hundred  years,  till  the  days  of 
Pyonsious.  And  finally,  that  being  himself  a  Presbyter, 
he  wished  Dr.  Coke  to  accept  ordination  from  his  hands, 
and  to  proceed  in  that  character  to  the  continent  of  Amer- 
ica, to  superintend  the  societies  in  the  United  States.  (See 
Prew's   Life  of  Dr.  Coke,  p.  63,  64,) 

4th.  Dr.  Coke  had  become  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  Mr. 
Wesley's  views  and  wishes ;  and,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Creighton,  a  regularly  ordained  minister,  who  had  long  offiv 
ciated  in  Mr.  Wesley's  chapel  in  London,  and  assisted  him 
in  various  branches  of  his  ministerial  duties,  met  him  in 
Bristol ;  when,  with  their  assistance,  Mr.  Wesley  ordained 
Mr,  Richard  VVhatcoat  and  Mr.  Thomas  Vasey,  presbyters 
for  America  :  and,  being  peculiarly  attached  to  every  rite  of 
the  Church  of  England,  did  afterwards  ordain  Dr.  Coke  su^ 
'perintendent—OT,  which  is  the  same,  bishop — giving  him  let- 
ters of  ordination,  under  his  hand  and  seal:  [Coke  and 
Moore's  Life  of  Wesley,  p.  459 ;  Life  of  Coke  by  Diew, 
p.  65. 

5th,  The  letter  of  ordination  from  Mr.  Wesley,  expressly 
states,  he  had  set  apart  Dr.  Coke  as  a  "  superintendent"  for 
America.  "  to  preside  over  the  flock  of  Christ." 

**  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come  :  John  Wesley, 
late  Fellow  of  Lincoln  College  in  Oxford,  presbyter  of 
the  Church  of  England,  sendeth  greeting : 
''  WhercaSf  Many  of  the^people  in  the  Southern  Provin^ 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  53 

ces  of  North  America,  who  desire  to  continue  under  my 
-care,  and  still  adhere  to  the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  the 
Church  of  England,  are  greatly  distressed  for  the  want  of 
ministers,  to  administer  the  sacraments  of  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper,  according  to  the  usages  of  the  same  Church  ; 
and  whereas,  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  other  way  of 
supplying  them  with  ministers  : 

Know  all  men,  that  I,  John  Wesley,  think  myself  to  be 
providentially  called,  at  this  time,  to  set  apart  some  persons 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  America.  And  therefore, 
under  the  protection  of  Almighty  God,  and  with  a  single  eye 
to  his  glory,  I  have,  this  day,  set  apart,  as  a  superintendent, 
by  the  imposition  of  my  hands  and  prayer,  (being  assisted 
by  other  ordained  ministers,)  Thomas  Coke,  Doctor  of  Civil 
Law,  a  presbyter  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  a  man 
whom  I  judge  to  be  well  qualified  for  that  great  work.  And 
I  do  hereby  recommend  him  to  all  whom  it  may  concern, 
AS  a  fit  person  to  preside  over  the  flock  of  Christ.  In  tes- 
timony, I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal,  this  second 
day  of  September,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
four. 

''JOHN  WESLEY." 

6th.  Having  received  this  letter  of  ordination  from  Mr, 
Wesley,  Dr.  Coke  proceeded  to  America.  He  presided  in 
the  first  General  Conference,  which  closed  its  session  in 
Baltimore,  1st  January,  1785.  "The  minutes  of  the  con- 
ference were  printed  under  the  title  of,  The  General  Min- 
utes of  the  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  America."  The  same  year,  Dr.  Coke  returned  to  En^- 
giand,  and  met  Mr.  Wesley  at  the  British  Conference,  which 
held  its  session  in  London,  26th  July.  It  must  be  believed 
Mr.  Wesley  saw  the  minutes  of  tho  American  Conference, 
and  learned  from  Dr.  Coke  all  that  had  been  done.  It  was 
Mr.  Wesley's  habit  to  speak  his  mind  plainly  on  all  sub- 
jects ;  and,  had  he  been  dissatisfied,  he  would  have  made 
it  known.  And,  when  Dr.  Coke  was  attacked  by  an  anony- 
mous writer  in  England,  supposed  to  be  Mr.  Charles  Wesley, 
lor  having  organized  the  '.'Methodist  Episcopal  Church,"  in 


54  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

his  defence,  he  affirmed  that,  in  his  proceedings  in  America, 
he  did  nothing  but  by  a  delegated  power,  which  he  received 
from  Mr.  Wesley.  This  he  did  publicly,  under  Mr.  Wes- 
ley's eye.  On  this  ground,  says  Mr.  Drew,  it  cannot  be  de- 
nied that  his  plea  of  delegated  authority  is  valid,  Mr.  Wes- 
ley and  himself  being  identified  together."  Life  of  Coke 
by  Drew,  p.  101. 

7th.  I  have  only  to  add,  Mr.  Wesley  altered  the  English 
Prayer  Book  to  suit  the  Methodist  societies  in  this  country. 
The  preface  is  signed,  *'  John  Wesley,"  and  dated  Bristol, 
Sept.  9,  1784,  only  seven  days  after  the  ordination  of  Di. 
Coke,  and  entitled  "  The  Sunday  service  of  the  Methodists 
in  the  United  States  of  America,  with  other  occasional  ser- 
vices." In  it  is  prescribed  a  form  for  ordaining  ministers, 
thus  headed  :  "  The  form  and  manner  of  making  and  or- 
daining of  Superintendents,  Elders,  and  Deacons."  The 
running  titles  at  the  head  of  the  pages,  are,  1,  "  The  or- 
daining of  Deacons;"  2,  *•  The  ordaining  of  Elders  ;"  3, 
*'  The  ordaining  of  Superintendents."  And,  in  the  edition 
of  the  Prayer  Book,  printed  in  London  in  1786,  we  find  the 
first  general  minutes  of  the  "  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  America,"  Mr.  Wesley  still  living :  [See  Defence  of  our 
Fathers.] 

I  think  it  has  been  clearly  shown,  that  Mr.  Wesley  did 
consider  himself  authorized  by  the  Scriptures,  and  called, 
in  the  providence  of  God,  to  invest  Dr.  Coke  with  "  Epis- 
copal dignity  ;"  considering  the  office  of  bishop  and  pres- 
byter to  be  one  ;  and  that  he  did  intend  Dr.  Coke  to  exercise 
the  oversight  of  the  Methodist  societies  in  America,  and  to 
organize  an  Episcopal  Church.  And  Mr.  Wesley's  character 
for  piety  and  intelligence,  forbids  the  idea,  that  he  would 
hastily  enter  upon  so  important  a  work,  without  being/ully 
^convinced  of  its  agreement  with  the  Scriptures  and  the  nsr 
eessity  of  the  case.     Yet  Dr.  Chapman  intimates  that  Mr. 


MISREPRESENTATIONS   REFUTED  55 

Wesley,  in  ordaining  Dr.  Coke,  intended  nothing  more  than 
"the  blessing  of  a  good  old  man  on  his  fellow-laborer  in 
the  ministry." 

Mr.  Wesley,  in   this  transaction,   may  have  had  respect 
to  the  case  of  Barnabus  and  Saul,  (Acts  xiii.)  who  receiv- 
ed ordination  or  imposition  of  hands  from  Simeon,  Lucius, 
and  Manaen,  Prophets  and  Teachers;  and  as  such,  not  su- 
perior to  them,  and,  in  some  sense,  inferior.     (Eph.  2,  20.) 
This  imposition  of  hands  was  made  by  the  command  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.     For  what  ?     To  constitute  them    Elders  or 
Apostles  ?     No  ;  they  were  such  already.     But  to  separate 
them  for  the  work,  whereunto  he  had  called  them,  namely; 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles.     Will  Dr.  Chapmaa 
say,  that  nothing  more  was  intended  by  this  transaction, 
than  the  usual  blessing  of  three  ministers  upon  their  fellow 
labourer  ?     We  presume  not.     When  Mr.  Wesley,  in    con- 
junction with  other  Presbyters,  imposed  their  hands  on  Dr. 
Coke,  it  was  not  to  confer  on  him  a  higher  grade  of  order 
in  the  ministry  than  he  had  before  ;  for;  as  a  Presbyter,  he 
was  already  in  Mr.  Wesley's  opinion,  a  scriptural  Bishop. 
But  the  object  was,  to   give  his  sanction  and  authority  to 
Dr.  Coke,  to  execute  the  office  and  duties  of  superintendent 
over  the  Methodist  societies  in  America.     And  this  he  had 
full  authority  to  do  ;  because  he  was,  under  God,  the  father 
and  head  of  the  societies;  and  was  so  acknowledged.  They 
looked  to  him  as  their  director,  and  referred  to  him  for  ad- 
vice.    They  were  without  ministers  to  administer  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  gospel ;  and,  in  most  places,  without  access 
to  them  in  other  churches.     It  was  thus  a  case  of  necessi-' 
ty  and  expediency,  sustained   by  scriptural  authority,  the 
usage  of  the  primitive  church,  and  the  relation  which  he 
sustained  to  the  societies  as  their  founder  and  father,  under 
God.     And  hence  he  stood  more  than  justified,  in  the  eyes 
of  scripture,  as  well  as  reason ;  and  has  been  gratefully  re- 


56  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

membered,  and  much  beloved  by  thousands  th^t  have  been? 
raised  up  thereby,  in  this  widely  extended  country,  to  c&\i 
him  blessed. 

Few  men  that  ever  lived,  were  ever  in  a  condition  simi- 
lar to  that  of  Mr.  Wesley,  when  he  authorized  and  sent  Dr. 
Coke,  to  organize  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In 
early  life  he  had  set  out  with  a  single  eye  to  the  glory  of 
God,  to  live  a  life  of  holiness,  according  to  the  scripture. 
And  such  was  the  blessing  of  God,  on  his  efforts,  that 
many  were  led  to  take  knowledge  of  him,  that  he  had  been 
with  Christ  ;  and  desired  to  unite  with  him,  in  his  method: 
of  holy  living.  Thus  matters  went  on,  from  time  to  time, 
until  many  societies  were  raised  up  in  connexion  with  him,- 
both  in  Europe  and  America. 

He  was  a  strict  Churchman  ;  and  consequently,  had  not 
adopted  any  rules,  or  laid  any  plans,  contrary  to  the  estab- 
lished order  of  the  church  to  which  he  belonged.  He  nev- 
er thought,  for  a  moment,  of  leaving  that  church,  or  by  any 
means  raising  up  a  new  sect  or  denomination  of  christians. 
For  it  is  evident,  his  whole  ambition  was,  to  get  good  and 
do  good,  by  carrying  out,  and  enforcing,  the  doctrines  of 
the  established  church,  which  had  been  long  and  shameful- 
ly neglected.    In  this  God  blessed  him  abundantly. 

The  societies  that  had  been  raised  in  Europe  by  his  in- 
strumentality, he  would  frequently  visit,  and  by  his  godly 
conversation,  encourage  to  press  on  in  the  work  of  faith  and! 
labor  of  love.  But,  in  reference  to  this  country  it  was 
widely  different.  The  war  had  long  raged  with  violence, 
and  finally  ended,  in  the  separation  of  the  two  countries. 
Then  there  was  no  Church  of  England  here,  as  there  had" 
formerly  been  ;  no  Protestant  Church,  no  ministers,  no  ad- 
ministration of  ordinances.  So  that  nearly  the  whole 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land  was  left,  as  a  waste,  howling, 
wilderness.    What,  then,  was  Mr.  Wesley  to  do,  when  his 


MISREPRESENTATIONS   REFUTED  57 

brethren  in  connection  with  him  here,  in  their  destitute  and 
forlorn  condition,  applied  to  him  for  help  ?  Was  he  to  turn 
a  deaf  ear  to  their  cry,  that  had  reached  him  across  the 
broad  waters  ?  Or  was  it  his  duty  to  do  all  he  possibly  could 
for  them,  in  this  state  of  destitution  ?  No  man  living  had 
the  same  influence  over  them  that  he  had,  or,  in  the  nature 
of  things  could  expect  to  have.  And,  as  it  was  in  his 
power  to  form  a  plan  that  would  harmonize  the  whole,  bring 
them  into  a  state  of  organization,  and  put  them  into  action, 
by  which  they  could  serve  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
their  own  conscience,  and  be  useful  to  their  fellow  men 
around  them,  most  certainly  it  was  his  duty  so  to  do  ;  more 
especially,  as,  in  doing  so,  he  would  not  only  do  unspeakable 
good  to  his  brethren  who  looked  to  him  and  desired  his 
help,  but  would  not,  as  he  stated  himself,  invade  any  man's 
rights  or  break  in  upon  any  established  order,  civil  or  eccle^ 
siastical,  by  which  injury  might  be  done  to  any  man  or  any 
set  of  men. 

Indeed,  there  appeared*to  be  no  way  for  Mr.  Wesley  to 
escape.  Scripture,  reason,  and  Providence,  all  combined  to 
lay  him  under  a  moral  necessity  to  do  as  he  did.  And  the 
sequel  proved  that  God  was  in  it,  in  a  most  wonderful  man- 
ner. Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  have  been  brought, 
thereby,  into  the  fold  of  Christ  and  made  happy  in  the  ex- 
perience of  the  peace  and  love  of  God,  which  passeth  un- 
derstanding. And  now,  in  taking  the  whole  ground  into  view, 
we  would  ask,  in  the  name  of  reason,  what  motive  could 
Mr.  Wesley  have  had  in  all  this,  seeing  that  after  he  had 
done  all  he  could  for  his  brethren  here,  he  claimed  no  ju- 
risdiction over  them  whatever  ?  It  certainly  is  strange,  that 
any  man  or  set  of  men  can  be  found,  to  impugn  his  motives, 
or  to  say  any  thing  by  which  they  could  be  disparaged. 
Mr.  Wesley  must  have  acted  under  the  most  pure  and  dis- 
interested motives ;  moved  only  by  the  fear  and  love  of  God 
8 


58  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

and — as  we  have  already  triumphantly  proved — according 
to  Scripture,  reason,  and  the  true  necessity  of  the  case. 
Hence,  therefore,  he  must  stand  justified  by  all  wise  and 
good  men  ;  and  especially  in  the  sight  of  that  righteous  God 
who  searcheth  the  heart  and  trieth  the  reins. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  notice  Dr.  Chapman's  represen- 
tations of  Dr.  Coke. 

The  Doctor  has  taken  upon  himself  to  charge  this  great 
and  good  man,  with  exercising  an  office,  in  '*  his  personal 
pretensions  to  which,  he  placed  no  confidence."  A  more, 
serious  imputation  on  the  Christian  honesty  of  Dr.  Coke, 
could  hardly  be  made.  Dr.  Chapman  says  ,  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  '*  has  no  such  episcopacy  as  is  consid- 
ered by  us,  and  was  considered  hy  its  founder  and  first  su- 
perintendent, to  be  authorized  and  genuine."  p.  87. 

We  grant  that  we  have  no  such  episcopacy  as  is  consid- 
ered by  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to  be  "  authorized 
and  genuine :"  and  we  are  free  to  acknowledge,  that  we  have 
no  concern  on  account  of  it.  But  that  we  have  no  such 
episcopacy  as  was  considered  "  authorized  and  genuine"  by 
the  founder  and  first  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  we  positively  deny,  and  have  already  showrs 
that  it  is  not  the  case. 

It  remains  now,  to  attend  to  what  Dr.  Chapman  has  said 
in  relation  to  Dr.  Coke,  and  his  own  views  of  his  ordina- 
tion. '*  After  having  exercised  the  power  of  ordination  for 
about  six  years,  he  appears  to  have  become  extremely  dis- 
satisfied with  himself,  and  to  have  been  fully  convinced  of 
the  invalidity  of  his  supposed  episcopacy."  To  confirm 
this  statement.  Dr.  Chapman  produces  the  fragment  of  a  let- 
ter, said  to  be  written  by  Dr.  Coke  to  Bishop  White,  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  '•  proposing  a  re-union  of  their 
respective  churches :" — a  union  may  have  been  proposed, 
but  a  rc-union  could  not,  as  they  had  never,  as  churches. 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  59 

Wen  united—"  and  expressing  this  opinion  of  the  ministers 
already  ordained  by  Mr.  Asbury  and  himself:"  "I  do  not 
think  that  the  generality  of  them,  perhaps,  any  of  them, 
would  refuse  to  submit  to  a  re- ordination.'*  There  is  no" 
thing  in  this  to  justify  the  charge  made  against  Dr.  Coke. 
He  does  not  propose  a  re-ordination,  or  even  suggest  that  he 
thought  it  necessary  ;  except  on  the  ground  of  the  propo- 
sed  union ;  and  then,  should  it  be  deemed  necessary  by 
Bishop  White,  he  (Dr.  Coke)  thought  the  preachers  or- 
dained  by  Mr.  Asbury  and  himself,  would  not  refuse.  But 
in  this  he  was  much  mistaken.  From  the  sequel,  we  learn, 
that,  in  all  probability,  not  one  would  have  submitted  to  re- 
ordination;  even  if  it  had  been  the  only  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  the  union  of  the  churches. 

Again,  Mr.  Chapman  says  :  **  Dr.  Coke  remarks,  *he  (Mr. 
Wesley)  did,  indeed,  solemnly  invest  me,  as  far  as  he  had  a 
right  to  do,  with  episcopal  authority."  And,  instead  of 
giving  the  whole  connection,  that  the  meaning  might  be 
fairly  seen,  he  adds  :  "  But  mark  the  consequences  ;  he 
went  farther,  I  am  sure,  than  he  would  have  done,  if  he  had 
forseen  some  events  which  followed.  And  this,  I  am  cer- 
tain of,  that  he  is  now  sorry  for  the  separation."  And  what 
is  there,  in  all  this,  to  justify  the  conclusion,  that  Dr.  Coke 
''placed  no  confidence  whatever  in  his  personal  pretensions 
to  the  office  he  had  exercised."  Is  it  because  he  says,  that 
Mr.  Wesley  "did  solemnly  invest,'  him  "with  episcopal  au- 
thority?" Surely  not ;  for  this  is  an  avowal  of  Mr.  Wesley's 
authority  to  ordain,  and  of  the  validity  of  his  own  episco- 
pacy. But  is  it  because  he  adds,  "  as  far  as  he  had  a  right 
to  do"?  Surely  this  is  not  intended  to  say,  that  iVIr.  Wesley 
had  no  *'  right,"  to  invest  him  with  episcopal  authority  ;  for 
he  fully  believed  Mr.  Wesley  to  be  a  Scriptural  bishop  ;  and 
consequently  possessed  of  the  very  best  authority  to  ordain 
to  that  office.     But  while  Mr.  Wesley  had  authority  to  ordain 


60  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

Dr.  Coke,  superintendent,  for  the  Methodist  societies  in 
America,**  he  had  no  authority  to  ordain  him  a  bishop  of  the 
Church  of  England,  or  for  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  this  country,  with  which  he  was — with  an  eye  single  to 
the  glory  of  God — seeking  a  union.  Neither  has  the  Pro. 
testant  Episcopal  Church  authority  to  ordain  for  us  ;  and  this 
is,  no  doubt,  the  meaning  of  Dr.  Coke,  in  saying  *'as  far  as 
he  had  a  right  to  do." 

Again  :  Does  Dr.  Coke  authorize  the  conclusion  that  he 
had  no  confidence  in  his  episcopacy  when  he  says,  *'  He 
went  farther,  I  am  sure,  than  he  would  have  gone,  had  he 
forseen  some  events  which  followed."  Farther  in  what  1 
What  events  that  followed  ?  Who  can  possibly  tell  the 
precise  meaning  of  this  fragment  of  the  letter?  The  most 
natural  conclusion  appears  to  be,  that  the  Doctor  intended 
to  say,  that,  such  was  Mr.  Wesley's  love  and  veneration  for 
the  church  to  which  he  belonged,  such  his  ardent  desire  for 
unity  of  faith  and  practice  in  the  Church  of  God,  that,  not. 
withstanding  he  fully  believed  himself  to  be  authorized,  by 
the  Word  of  God,  to  ordain,  as  he  did,  for  America ;  could 
he  have  forseen  that  Parliament  would  have  passed  an  act, 
making  it  lawful  in  England  to  ordain  bishops  for  foreign 
lands,  and  that  consequently  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  would  have  been  organized  in  this  country,  in  which 
all  that  had  formerly  belonged  to  the  Church  of  England 
here  might  have  been  one,  he  would  not  have  gone  so  far  as 
he  did,  in  organizing  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Are 
we  not  fully  justified  in  this  conclusion,  when  it  is  immedi- 
ately added,  *'  this  I  am  certain  of,  that  he  is  now  sorry  for 
the  separation.*'  No  doubt  that  Mr.  Wesley  and  Dr.  Coke 
were  both  sorry  that  a  'separation  should  exist  between  the 
churches,  for  the  same  reason  that  every  good  man  is  sorry 
that  any  thing  should  exist  to  separate  between  any  of  the 
professed  followers  of  the  blessed  Redeemer.    But  in  no 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  61 

wise  were  they  so,  because  they  did  not  think  Methodist 
episcopacy  "  authorized  and  genuine." 

Again:  Dr.-  Chapman  says,  in  a  subsequent  interview 
with  bishop  White,  "  there  was  also  suggested  by  him  (Dr. 
Coke)  the  propriety,  but  not  a  condition  made,  of  admit- 
ting to  the  Episcopacy,  himself  and  the  gentlemen  associa- 
ted with  him  in  the  superintendence  of  the  Methodist  So. 
cieties." 

Let  it  be  noticed,  first,  that  this  was  on  a  private  inter- 
view, subsequent  to  the  letter.  How  then,  did  Dr.  Chap- 
man get  it  ?  If  bishop  White  afterwards  stated  it,  how 
easily  might  he  have  misplaced  the  sentence,  through  for- 
getfulness  or  misapprehension  ;  and  thus  make  Dr.  Coke 
say  what  he  never  intended.  But  what  was  suggested? 
JNot  to  ordain  Dr.  Coke  and  Mr.  Asbury ;  but  the  propriety 
of  admitting  them,  in  case  of  a  union  of  the  Churches,  to 
a  joint  share  of  the  Episcopate,  just  as  they  then  stood. 
But  it  was  not  made  a  condition.  I  ask,  does  this  look  like 
discarding  Methodist  Episcopacy?  Surely  not.  The  very 
reverse  is  intended  in  this  sentence. 

But  Dr.  Chapman  supposes,  that  his  opinion  is  correct, 
because  Dr.  Coke  made,  ''  about  eight  years  after,  applica- 
tion to  the  bishop  of  London,  to  ordain  a  given  number  of 
travelling  preachers  in  England,  for  the  purpose  of  admin- 
istering the  sacrament  to  the  people  of  their  connection." 
It  would  be  sufficient,  in  answer  to  this,  to  remark,  that  the 
request  was  made  for  England,  and  not  for  America.  Dr. 
Coke  never  considered  himself  authorized  to  ordain  for 
England ;  neither  could  he,  for  there,  all  things  were  trans- 
acted according  to  a  legal  jurisdiction.  But  let  it  be  ob- 
served, this  was  done  after  Dr.  Coke  had  given  up  his  su- 
perintendence in  this  country ;  and  that,  for  the  sole  pur- 
pose of  preventing  the  Methodists  from  separating  from  the 
Church  of  England.     Mr,  Drew,  his  faithful  biographer  ob- 


62  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

serves  ;"  attached,  like  Mr.  Wesley,  to  the  establishment  of 
his  country,  and  unwilling  to  countenance  innovations  that 
might  ultimately  lead  the  Methodist  to  form  themselves  into 
a  separate  body,  he  devised  a  plan,  which  he  thought,  might 
wholly  prevent  the  evil  which  he  feared.  The  principles 
of  this  plan  were  to  establish,  if  possible,  an  indissoluble 
union  between  the  Methodist  and  the  Church  of  England, 
without  rendering  them  dependent  upon  the  clergy  of  the 
establishment."  He  then  gives  Dr.  Coke's  letter  to  the 
bishop  of  London,  which  commences  thus  : 

•'  May  it  please  your  Lordship  ;  I  have  felt  a  strong  in- 
clination, for  more  than  twelve  months  past,  to  take  the 
liberty  of  writing  to  your  Lordship,  on  a  subject  which  ap- 
pears to  me  of  vast  importance.  I  mean  the  necessity  of 
securing  the  great  body  of  Methodist  in  connection  with  the 
late  Rev.  John  Wesley,  to  the  Church  of  England,"  &c. 
(Life  of  Coke,  by  Drew,  p  288.) 

It  is  unnecessary  to  give  more  of  this  long  letter,  to  show 
the  noble  and  christian-like  design  of  Dr.  Coke.  Many,  in 
the  Methodist  Societies,  had  become  dissatisfied  at  receiv- 
ing the  sacrament  at  ths  hands  of  unholy  and  wicked  cler- 
gymen ;  and  fearing  they  would  go  entirely  oif,  he  devised 
the  plan  of  having  some  of  the  travelling  preachers,  or- 
dained by  the  bishop  of  London,  to  serve  in  England  ;  none 
of  whom  were  to  come  to  America.  This  was  the  secret 
and  avowed  motive  of  Dr.  Coke  in  this  transaction ,  and 
not  that  he  had  "no  confidence  in  his  personal  pretensions 
to  the  office  that  he  had  exercised." 

But  to  show  beyond  successful  contradiction,  that  in  this 
transaction,  as  well  as  in  the  letter  written  to  bishop  White, 
Dr.  Coke  never  intended  so  much  as  to  intimate,  that  he 
did  not  "consider"  Methodist  Episcopacy  "genuine,"  we 
give  Dr.  Coke's  own  statement  of  the  case,  contained 
in  a  letter  written  to  bishop  Asbury,  dated  near  Leeds,  Feb, 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  63 

2nd,  1808  ;  about  seventeen  years  after  he  had  written  to 
bishop  White,  and  about  nine  years  after  he  had  written  to 
the  bishop  of  London.  In  this  letter,  Dr.  Coke  ftates, 
he  had  heard  that  there  had  been  a  paper  war,  concerning 
a  letter  which  he  wrote  in  the  year  1791,  to  bishop  White. 
He  acknowledges  that  when  he  wrote  that  letter,  he  did 
then  believe,  that  the  union  which  he  proposed  would  have 
a  good  effect ;  that  it  would  very  much  enlarge  our  field  of 
action,  and  that  myriads  would,  in  consequence  of  it,  attend 
our  ministry,  who  were  then  much  prejudiced  against  us. 
He  adds,  however,  that  he  had  no  idea  of  deciding  on  any- 
thing !  That  such  an  idea,without  the  concurrerice  of  bish- 
op Asbury,  and  of  the  General  Conference,  would  have 
been  absurd ;  and  that  what  he  did,  was  intended  to  ascer- 
tain the  sense  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
preparatory  to  the  General  Conference  ;  but  at  the  same 
time  he  expressly  declares,  "  I  never  applied  to  the 
Convention  for  reconsecration.  I  never  intended  that  eith- 
er you  or  I  should  give  up  our  Episcopal  ordination.  My 
proposals  secured  our  Discipline  in  all  points."  And  he 
afterwards  adds,  **  that  I  now  see  that  the  failure  of  my 
plan,  which  was  laid  down  from  the  present  motives,  was 
for  the  best."  (Dr.Emory's  Defence  of  our  Fathers,  p.  29.) 
Again;  The  same  author  says;  '' Bishop  White  states 
that  one  of  the  outlines  of  Dr.  Coke's  plan,  as  to  the  Meth- 
odist ministers,  was  their  continuing  under  the  superinten- 
cy  then  existing,  and  on  the  practices  of  their  own  peculiar 
institutions.  This  coincides  with  Dr.  Coke's  statement. 
What  was  his  (Dr.  Cokes')  intended  means  of  removal  of 
this  difficulty — i.  e.  of  ordaining  preachers  who  were  not 
acquainted  with  the  learned  languages— says  bishop  White, 
does  not  appear  in  the  letter.  It  may  have  been  a  promise 
on  the  part  of  the  Bishops,  that  the  ordination  of  the  per- 
sons in  question,  should  not  be  prevented  from  that  cir- 


64  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

cumstance  ;  or  it  may  have  been  the  consecration  of  him- 
self and  the  gentleman  connected  with  him  ;  for  this 
measmre  was  hinted  at  in  a  conversation  that  'afterwards- 
took  place  between  us." 

The  very  terms  of  this  sentence  show  doubt  on  the  face 
of  it ;  and.  as  we  shall  presently  demonstrate,  that  bishop 
White  mistook  the  import  of  Dr.  Coke's  letter,  it  must 
be  admitted  to  be  possible  that  he  might,  at  least,  equally 
have  misapprehended  a  hint  in  conversation.  The  propen- 
sity of  the  human  mind,  to  conjecture  that  which  is  most 
accordant  with  its  own  habits  of  thinking,  or  best  calcula- 
ted to  support  its  own  views,  is  too  well  known  to  require 
discussion  here. 

But  even  admitting  that  bishop  White  may  have  been 
correct  in  his  impression,  that  Dr. Coke  did  hint,  in  conver- 
sation,the  propriety  of  admitting  to  the  Episcopacy,  himself 
and  the  gentleman  associated  with  him,  in  case  of  a  union 
with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ;  it  may  be  easily 
accounted  for  on  bishop  White's  own  principles,  without 
supposing  Dr.  Coke  by  any  means  to  have  intended  to  ad- 
mit the  nullity  of  his  former  Episcopal  ordination.  Dr. 
Coke  might,  at  that  time,  have  thought  it  expedient,  if  a 
union  took  place,  in  order  to  gain  the  more,  and  to  enlarge 
our  field  of  action,  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  prejudi- 
ces of  those  who  deemed  what  they  termed  the  succession, 
of  importance.  This  is  precisely  what  bishop  White  him- 
self had  proposed  but  a  few  years  before,  in  **The  Case  af 
the  Episcopal  Churches  considered."  "If,  said  he,  such 
measures,  as  have  been  above  recommended,  should  be 
adopted,  viz,  admitting  to  the  Ministry,  by  a  clergyman 
elected  as  permarfent  president,  in  conjunction  with  other 
clergymen,  and  the  Episcopal  Succession  afterwards  ob- 
tained, any  supposed  imperfections  of  the  intermediate  or- 
dinations, might,  if  it  were  judged    proper,  be  supplied 


MISREPRESENTATIONS   REFUTED  ^ 

Without  acknowledging  their  nullity,  by  a  conditional  ordi^ 
nation,  resembling  that  of  conditional  baptism."  (p  17. 

"  But  we  conjecture  if  Dr.  Coke  did  hint  or  suggest  the 
propriety  of  admitting  to  the  Episcopate,  in  union  with  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  himself  and  the  gentleman 
connected  with  him,  he  either  meant  that  they  should  be 
so  udmilted  without  reconsecration ;  or  if  with  reconsecra- 
tion,  then  it  was,  that  he  would  submit  to  this  for  the  sake 
of  being  more  extensively  useful  among  those  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church,  who  might  deem  it  of  importance, 
in  case  of  such  an  union ;  and  not  at  all  because  he  deem' 
ed  it  of  any  sort  of  consequence  ;  much  less  of  necessity, 
either  for  himself  or  for  the  Methodists. 

'*  But  we  have  said  bishop  White  mistook  the  import  of 
Dr.  Coke's  letter;  and  may  possibly  have  equally  mistaken 
the  import  of  what  he  considered  a  hint  in  conversation. 
It  remains  to  show  this.     In  his  letter  of  July,  1804,  bishop' 
White  says,   -  the  general  outlines  of  Dr.  Coke's  plan  were 
a  re-ordination  of  the  Methodist  Ministers,"  &c.     In  the 
letter  of  Sept.,  1806,  he  expresses  it  thus— -His  plan  (Dr. 
Coke's)  was,  that  all   the  ordained  Ministers  then  in'the 
Methodist  connection,  should    receive   Episcopal  ordina- 
lion."     Now  let  us  turn  to  Dr.  Coke's  own-  language,  a^ 
contained  in  his   letter  to  bishop  White,   dated"  April,  24 
V9]— ''Our  ordained  Ministers  (says  Dr.  Coke)  will  not, 
ought  not  to,  give  up  their  right  of  administering  the  Sa- 
craments," 

Here,  then,  their  existing  right  to  administer  the  sacra- 
ments is  expressly  asserted;  and  also  their  obligation  not  to 
give  it  up,  being  a  right  of  character  already  vested. 
The  validity  of  their  ordination  is,  in  this  passage,  une- 
quivocally avowed.  Yet  Dr.  Coke  adds,  ''  I  do  not  think 
that  the  generality  of  them,  perhaps  none  of  them,  would 

9 


66  MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED 

refuse  to  submit  to  a  re-ordination,  if  other  hindrances  werr 
removed  o.ut  of  the  way." 

Now  we  ask,  in  the  name  of  candour,  if  there  be  no  dif- 
ference between  saying  it  was  Dr.  Coke's  flan,  as  if  it  had 
been  proposfdhy  him. as  a  thing  deemed  necessary  by  him- 
self, that  all  the  ordaine  I  Methodist  Ministers  should  be 
re  ordained — and  his  averring  that  they  ought  not  to  give 
up  the  right  which  they  previously  possessed  of  adminis- 
tering the  sacraments  ,  though  he  did  not  think  that  most 
of  them,  perhaps  none  of  them,  would  refuse  to  submit  to 
re-ardination,  if  their  compliance  in  that  respect  should  be 
the  only  remaining  hindrance  to  a  union?  The  difference 
to  us  is  clear.  And  we  believe  it  would  be  equally  plain 
to  every  impartial  and  candid  reader. 

*'But  we  will  go  further,  and  say,-  had  it  ever  been  Dr. 
Coke's  plan,  that  all  the  ordained  Methodist  Ministers, 
should  be  re-ordained, in  case  of  a  union  with  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  ;  it  could  not  have  been  because  he  ad- 
mitted the  nullity  of  their  existing  ordination,  unless  he 
palpably  contradicted  himself  in  the  same  breath.  The 
principle  ofsuch  a  proposal,  had  it  been  made,  could  have 
been  no  other,  from  the  evidence  before  us,  than  that  above 
stated,  viz,  a  willingness,  for  the  sake  of  moie  extensive 
usefulness,  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  prejudices  of 
others,  when  he  did  not  believe  that  his  doing  so  would  be 
sinful.  The  justiliableness,  and  even  the  expediency,  of 
such  a  course,  without  admitting  the  nullity  of  former  or- 
dinations, had  been,previous  to  that  time, amply  vindicated 
by  bishop  White  himself,  in  the  case  of  the  Episcopal 
Churches.  That  pamphlet  Dr.  Coke  had  no  doubt  seen; 
and  it  is  highly'  probable,  that  very  work  had  a  principal 
influence  in  inducing  him  to  approach  bishop  White,  par- 
ticularly on  that  subject. 

*'  We  have  only  to  add  here,  that  whatever  Dr.  Coke  did 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  67 

in  this  matter  was  his  own  individual  act ;  and  was  neither 
approved  of,  nor  known  by,  his  colleague,  bishop  Asbury ; 
nor,  as  far  as  we  are  acquainted,  by  a  single  other  Metho- 
dist Minister  in  the  United  States.  And  that  Dr.  Coke 
himself  lived  long  enough  to  see,  and,  with  his  characteris- 
tic candour, to  acknowledge,  that  the  failure  of  his  scheme 
had  been  for  the  best."     (lb.  30,  31,  32.) 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  testimony  afforded  us  by 
Dr.  Emory,  in  the  Defence  or  our  Fathers,  we  have  to  ob- 
serve, that  Drew,  the  biographer  of  Dr.  Coke,  says,  that 
he  found  a  'manuscript'  among  his  'papers,'  from  which 
he  took  "the  liberty  to  transcribe,  and  apply  in  his  own 
defence  on  the  present  occasion/' — (Coke's  Ordination,  by 
Wesley) — "ihe  evidences  adduced,  in  behalf  of  his  depart- 
ed friends,"  Wesley  and  Whitfield. 

'*  In  these  evidences,  we  may  perceive  his  own  views  of 
the  validity  of  his  ordination,  by  the  hands  of  Wesley  after 
a  lapse  of  more  than  twenty  years."     (p  69.) 

Without  adding  more,  we  hope  the  reader  is  satisfied, 
that  we  have  fairly  disproved  the  severe  allegation  brought 
against  Dr,  Coke,  of  his  want  of  Christian  honesty,  in  that 
he  "exercised  the  Episcopal  office,"  when,  at  the  same 
time,  "he  placed  no  confidence  whatever  in  his  personal 
pretensions  to  it;"  and  have  shown  Dr.  Chapman's  view 
of  the  whole  transaction  to  be  incorrect.  We  have  shown 
clearly,  that  Dr.  Coice  never  intended  in  his  letter  to  Bish- 
op White— in  his  letter  to  the  Bishop  of  London — nor  in 
any  other  way,  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge,  even  so 
much  as  to  intimate,  that  he  did  not  think  Methodist  Epis- 
copacy, "authorized  and  genuine."  But  on  the  contrary, 
from  the  letter  itself  written  to  Bishop  White,  his  letter  to 
the  Bishop  of  London — his  own  letter  to  Bishop  Asbury, 
and  a  manuscript  found  among  his  papers,  written  on  the 
subject,   more  than  seventy  years  after,  that  he  uniformly 


^8  MISREPRESENTATIONS   REFUTED 

Avowed  his  most  implicit  confidence  in  the  validity  of 
Methodist  Episcopacy,  and  the  soundness  of  his  personal 
pretensions  to  the  Episcopal  office. 

The  cause  of  truth  and  fair  investigation,  is  not  promo- 
led  by  those,  who,  by  partial  and  perverted  views  and  rep- 
resentations, seek  to  promote  their  own  pretensions,  and  to 
misrepresent  the  opinions  and  actions  of  others.  But  such 
a  course,  is  altogether  in  keepingwilh  Dr.  Chapman's  views 
of  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  succession;  according  to  which 
Mr.  Wesley  had  no  right  to  ordain  under  any  circumstan- 
ces whatever ;  Dr.  Coke  was  no  Bishop;  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  no  Church ;  and,  as  no  faith  is  to  be 
kept  with  heretics,  it  is  no  matter  in  what  way  they  are  de- 
denounced  and  put  down,  so,  indeed,  that  it  be  not  too  glar- 
ing. 

We  would  not  be  understood  to  say,  that  the  Rev'd  Dr. 
apart  from  this  principle,  could  be  guilty  of  such  things  ; 
for  we  have  a  better  opinion  of  him  as  a  christian,  and 
christian  minister.  But  blinded  and  carried  away,  as  he 
is  by  this  doctrine,  which  has  thus  led  him  into  error,  and 
misrepresentation  of  some  of  the  best  men,  and  ablest 
ministers  that  ever  belonged  to  the  Church  of  Christ,  he 
might  unwillingly  proceed  if  he  had  it  in  his  power,  not 
only  to  denounce,  but  to  destroy  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
all  ministers  and  branches  of  the  church,  who  could  not  in 
his  estimation  claim  Apostolic  succession — Not  that  he 
would  destroy  their  lives,  by  instituting  a  bloody  inquisi- 
tion as  the  Catholics  have  done — and  still  would  do  if  they 
had  it  in  their  power — but,  that  he  would  destroy  their 
ministerial  character  and  influence,  and  blot  out  their 
names  as  Churches  ;  so  that  they  should  have  no  hope  of 
salvation,  unless  they  would  come  into  his  beloved  Zion, 
or  into  the  bosom  of  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  and  receive 
from  her  pure  hands,  the  unspeakable  blessing  of  absolu- 


MISREPRESENTATIONS  REFUTED  69 

Hon.  Oh,  blind  bigotry— doubly  blinded  by  the  false  doc- 
trine of  succession! — what  hast  thou  done,  and  what  would- 
est  thou  not  do  ! 

Dr.  Coke  was  a  true  Christian,  a  wise,  learned  and  able 
minister,  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant;  and  conse- 
quently, could  not  have  acted  unadvisedly  in  such  grave 
and  important  matters  for  Mr.  Wesley,  or  any  other  man. 
He  was  convinced,  and  fully  persuaded,  in  his  own  mind, 
that  Mr.  Wesley  was  right  in  his  views  ;  that  he  had  scrip- 
tural authority  to  ordain  him,  for  the  purpose  of  meeting 
the  special  necessities  of  Ameiica;  and  that  so  or- 
dained and  sent  forth,  by  the  great  father  and  founder  of 
Methodism  under  God,  he  acted  under  the  very  best  au- 
thority in  organizing  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
And  who  but  must  see,  that,  in  approaching  bishop  White, 
as  he  did,  he  was  actuated  by  the  most  pure,  disinterested, 
and  benevolent  motives  ?  His  enlarged  soul,  would  em- 
brace in  its  affections  the  whole  human  family ;  and  hence, 
was  not  to  be  governed  by  little,  low,  selfish  and  contract- 
ed motives  ;  but  where  principle  was  not  involved,  was 
ready  to  make  any,  and  every  reasonable  sacrifice,  /or  the 
good  of  the  whole  church,  and  the  advancement  of  the  Re- 
deemer's Kingdom. 

Upon  the  whole,  we  think  we  have  established  beyond 
successful  contradiction,  the  confidence  of  Dr.  Coke  in  his 
own  Episcopal  authority ;  his  sincerity  and  good  faith,  in 
acting  as  he  did  under  it ;  and  the  enlarged  and  benevo- 
lent views,  that  led  him  to  seek  a  union  of  the  Methodist, 
with  the  Protestant  Episcopal,  Church.  And,  for  this,  in- 
stead of  meeting  reproach,  his  name  should  be  embalmed 
in  every  true  christian  heart. 


70  WESLEY  AND   COKK 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Mr.  Wesley  and  Dr.  Coke  had  a  Scriptural  right  to  organize  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  according  to  the  judgment  of  many  of  the  best 
divines,  both  ancient  and  modern. 

It  is  the  cause  of  truth  alone,  we  desire  to  maintain  ;  and 
this  must  be  dear  to  every  sincere  and  honest  heart.  We 
proceed,  therefore,  to  show  that  Mr.  Wesley  and  Dr.  Coke 
had  a  scriptural  right  to  establish  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  this  country  ;  a  right  not  only  resulting  from  the 
customs  and  usages  of  the  Church,  but  sanctioned  by  the 
judgment   of  many  of  the    most  pious  and  able  divines. 

And  first :  It  is  said  "  the  Lutheran  churches,  in  Sweden 
and  Denmark,  are  Episcopal ;"  see  Mosheim,  p.  279  ;  "yet 
all  ecclesiastical  historians  agree,  that,  when  the  reforma- 
tion was  introduced  into  Sweden,  the  first  ministers  who 
undertook  to  ordain  were  only  presbyters."  See  Willer's 
Letters,  p.  240. 

"It  is  equally  certain,  that,  in  the  ordination  of  a  bishop, 
if  the  other  bishops  happen  to  be  absent,  the  more  grave 
and  aged  of  the  ordinary  pastors,  supply  their  place,  and 
are  considered  as  fully  invested  with  the  ordaining  power", 
ib.  P.24L 

The  learned  Hookej  also  admits,  that,  "  in  the  exigence  of 
necessity,  the  necessity  of  the  present  episcopal  ordination 
in  the  line  of  succession  is  not  indispensible".  Ecc'l.  Pol. 
b.  7,  sec.  14. 

If  we  may  believe  the  great  Antiquaries  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland,  that  church  was  governed  by  their  '  Culdei',  as 
they  called  their  presbyters.  Nor  was  there  any  bishops 
^ver  them  for  a  long  time. 


SCRIPTURAL  RIGHT  TO  ORGANIZE  71 

Johannes  Fordonus,  in  his  De  Gestis  Scot.,  lib.  2,  ch.  2,  is 
clear  and  full,  as  to  their  government  from  the  time  of 
Palladius,  A.  D.  430.  "They  were  only  presbyters  and 
monks."  ib.  p.  375.  ''It  is  no  way  sufficient,"  says  Still- 
ingfleet,  "to  say  that  these  presbyters  did  derive  their  au- 
thority from  some  bishop.  If  they  had  any,  they  were  only 
chosen  from  their  *  Culdei,'  much  after  the  custom  of  the 
Church  of  Alexandria,  as  Hector  Boetheus  doth  imply. 
And  if  we  believe  Philoslorgius,  the  Gothic  churches  were 
planted  and  governed  by  presbyters,  for  above  seventy  years  • 
for  so  long  it  was,  from  thei  first  convention,  to  the  time 
of  Ulphilas,  whom  he  makes  their  first  bishop,"  ib. 

For  another  instance  about  the  year  390,  and  others  in  the 
year  452,  see  Irenius,  p.  379  ;  after  stating  and  argu= 
ing  which.  Doctor  Stillingfleet  thus  concludes;  "It  ap- 
pears then,  that  this  power  of  ordaining  by  presbyters,  was 
restrained  by  the  laws  of  the  Church,  for  preserving  unity  in 
itself;  but  yet  sp,  that  in  case  of  necessity,  what  was  done 
by  presbyters,  was  not  looked  on  as  invalid."  ib  p.  381.  The 
above  quotations  are  found  in  Dr.  Emory's  Defence  of  our 
Fathers  ;  and,  no  doubt  are  all  correct. 

Again:  Dr,  Drew,  the  great  metaphysician,  and  (he  biog- 
rapher of  Dr.  Coke,  after  arguing  the  propriety  of  Mr.  Wes- 
ley's course,  in  ordainmg  Dr,  Coke,  observes  ;  "There  was 
a  period,  when  the  Protestants  were  pressed  by  the  Papists 
with  arguments  precisely  similar  to  those  that  were  urged 
against  Mr.  Wesley  and  Dr.  Coke  on  the  present  occasion-. 
And  these  were  triumphantly  repelled,  with  weapons  which 
the  predecessors  of  their  present  antagonists,  had  instructed 
them  to  wield.  The  right,  therefore,  which  Mr.  Wesley  ex- 
ercised, in  the  ordination  of  Dr.  Coke,  was  ably  defended 
by  Dr.  Calamy,  in  his  reply  to  Bishop  Hoadley  ;  and,  with 
some  trifling  variations,  the  accumulated  force,  of  all  his 
arguments,  may  be  brought  to  bear  in  favor  of  the  delegated 


72  WESLEY  AND  COKE 

power,  which  Dr.  Coke  exercised,  on  his  arrival  in  Ame- 
rica."    See  Life  of  Coke,  p.  71. 

That  our  ordination  by  presbyters,  of  which  Mr.  Hoadley 
takes  the  liberty  to  speak  so  contemptuously,  is,  to  all  in. 
tents  and  purposes — except  that  of  gaining  church  prefer- 
ment— valid,  I  (Calamy)  prove  by  fair  argument/' 

••'  First :  I  argue  from  the  identity  of  bishop  and  presby. 
ters.  I  will  put  it  in  the  words  of  the  learned  Dr.  Whitaker, 
who  was  the  celebrated  King's  Professor  of  Divinity,  in  the 
University  of  Cambridge,  challenging  him  to  declare,  how 
the  ministers  among  the  reformed,  came  by  their  call  to' 
that  sacred  office;  bids  him  tell  him,  if  he  could,  who.called 
forth  Luther  and  Calvin,  and  Beza,  and  the  rest?  Dr, 
Whitaker  answers,  that,  "as  for  Luther,  and  Zuinglius,  and 
Bucir,  and  many  others  of  them,  they  were  authorized  pres- 
byters and  teachers,  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  ordained  and 
universally  owned  among  them  ;  and  that,  therefore,  they, 
being  presbyters,  and  presbyters  being,  by  divine  right,  the 
same  as  bishops,  they  might,  warrantably,  set  other  presbs- 
ters  over  the  churches."  See  Calamy's  Defence  of  Mode- 
rate Non-conformity,  vol.  1,  p.  70. 

**  To  those,"  says  Dr.  Drew,  "  who  ask,  on  what  principle 
Mr.  Wesley  ordained  Dr.  Coke,  to  preside  over  the  Metho- 
dist societies  in  America,  we  mighf  urge  this  same  reply. 
He  was  a  regular  presbyter,  ordained  in  the  Church  of  En- 
gland, and,  therefore,  *  presbyters,  being  by  divine  right  the 
same  as  bishops,  he  might,  warrantably,  ordain  other  pres- 
byters, and  set  them  over  the  churches  in  the  Western  Con- 
tinent :  especially  as  the  Bishop  of  London  refused  to  or- 
dain one,  as  stated  in  Mr.  Wesley's  Letter  to  Dr.  Coke  and 
Mr.  Asbury.  Perhaps  it  may  be  said,  that,  admitting  Mr. 
Wesley  had  a  right  to  ordain  presbyters,  this  could  not  justify 
him  in  ordaining  a  bishop.    To  this  objection,  the  author 


SCRIPTURAL  RIGHT  TO  ORGANIZE  73 

just  quoted,  hath  furnished  a  clear  and  explicit  answer,  which 
I  will  give  nearly  in  his  own  words; 

'  That  presbyters  are,  by  divine  right,  the  same  as  bish- 
ops, appears  from  hence,  that  such  as  were  solemnly  set 
apart  for  the  sacred  ministry  and  entrusted  with  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven, and  authoiized  to  administer  all  ordi- 
nances in  the  Church  to  the  faithful,  committed  to  their 
care,  are,  in  Scripture,  styled  bishops  and  elders,  or  presby- 
ters, without  any  mark  of  distinction.  To  be  convinced  of 
this,  a  man  need  but  turn  to  the  several  passages  where  they 
are  mentioned." 

"  St.  Paul  writing  to  the  Phillippians,  directs  his  epistle  to 
all  the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus  at  Philippi,  with  the  Bishops, 
and  Deacons,  but  no  Presbyters.  Had  there  been  any  Pres- 
byters, distinct  from  Bishops,  it  is  hard  to  give  a  reason  why 
they  should  be  passed  over  in  silence.  It  is  more  rational 
to  apprehend  these  Bishops  were  no  other  than  the  Presby- 
ters of  the  church.  And  this  sentiment  is  confirmed  by  the 
Syriac,  one  of  the  most  ancient  versions  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, which  reads  it  "  Presbyters,  and  Deacons."  There 
could  not  have  been  several  Bishops  at  Philippi,  in  the 
sense  the  church  of  England  gives  to  that  word.  There 
could  not  be  several  Pastors  of  many  churches  in  one  such 
little  place.  They  must  be  therefore,  proper  Presbyters  be- 
longing to  the  flock.  We  need  not  wonder  to  hear  of  ma- 
ny such  in  a  church  ;  for  we  are  told  that  Paul  and  Barna- 
bas, ordained  Elders  in  every  church."     Acts  14,  13. 

"  The  same  Apostle  in  his  Epistle  to  Timothy  lays  down 
the  duties  of  Bishops,  and  Deacons,  and  the  qualifications 
necessary  for  both  ;  without  saying  a  word  of  Presbyters  ; 
of  whom  it  is  hard  to  suppose,  he  should,  upon  such  an  oc- 
casion, have  been  altogether  silent,  had  they  not  been  the 
same  persons  whom  he  meant  by  Bishops.     Theodoret,  in 

his  notes  on  Acts  11.  30,  says,  that  the  Bishop,   or  Elder, 
10 


74  WESLEY  iir  COKE'S 

whom  St.  Paul  characterizes,  was  a  Presbyter,  while  at  ih& 
same  time  those  who  were  afterwards  called  Bishops,  were 
then  usually  styled  Aposlles."  lb.  p.  75. 
,  "In  ihis  Epistle  to  Tilus,  St.  Paul  again  introduces  the 
subject.  And  after  appointing  him  to  ordain  Elders  in 
every  city,  that  the  things  which  were  ivanting  might  be  set 
in  order,  he  adds,  'For  a  Bishop  must  be  blameless, 
as  the  steward  of  God.'  Titus  1.  7.  It  is  plain 
from  hence,  that  in  the  view  of  the  Apostles,  Bishops,  and 
Elders,  or  Presbyters,  must  have  been  considered  as  of  the 
same  order ;  otherwise,  instead  of  saying  a  Bishop  must  be 
blameless,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  said,  an  Elder  or 
Presbyter,  must  be  blameless  ;  for  in  the  preceding  verse, 
he  had  been  speaking  of  the  oidaining  of  Elders  and  not 
of  Bishops. 

"If  therefore  we  suppose  Bishops  to  have  been  an  order 
of  men,  superior  to  Presbyters,  it  will  not  be  easy  to  re- 
concile his  language  to  the  dictates  of  common  sense.  If 
Elders  and  Bishops  are  a  distinct  order  of  men,  I  should 
not  admire  the  reasoning  powers  of  that  man,  who  would 
argue  in  the  following  manner,  "Ordain  Elders  in  every 
city,  as  I  have  appointed  thee  ;  if  any  be  blameless  &c., 
for  a  Bishop,  must  be  blameless."  Here,  all  connection 
is  broken  off,  between  the  premises  and  the  conclusion. 
And  yet  in  this  way  we  must  suppose  the  Apostle  Paul  to 
have  argued,  in  the  1st.  chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  Titus. 
But  if  on  the  contrary,  we  allow  Bishops,  and  Elders,  to  be 
the  same  order,  then  all  the  parts  of  his  argument  are  har- 
monious and  consistent." 

But  above  all,  the  following  passage,  given  by  St.  Paul, 
in  charge  to  Timothy,  seems  to  place  this  point  beyond 
all  reasonable  dispute.  "Neglect  not  the  gift  that  is  in 
thee,  which  was  given  thee  by  prophecy,  with  the  laying 
on  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery."  1  Tim.  4,  14.—'*  This 
place"   says  Mr.  Whitaker  against    Bellermine,    "  serves 


SCRIPTURAL  RIGHT   TO   ORGANIZE  75 

'OUT  purpose  mightily  ,  for  from  hence  we  understand,  that 
Timothy  had  hands  laid  upon  him  by  the  Presbyters,  who 
at  that  time  governed  the  church  by  a  common  council" 
Whereupon  he  falls  upon  Bellermine,  and  the  Romanists 
for  denying  the  authority  of  ordaining  to  Presbyters,  and 
confining  it  to  Bishops.  This  much  is  plain  ;  that  wheth- 
er they  were  Apostles,  Evangelists  or  Bishops,  who  were 
concerned  in  the  ordination  of  Timothy,  they  all  assum- 
ed, the  character  of  Piesbyters,  and  acted  accordingly. 
And  although  some,  who  in  modern  days  think  themselves 
of  a  more  exalted  order,  maybe  unwilling  to  allow  the 
propriety  of  any  inference  drawn  from  the  ordination  of 
Timothy,  in  favor  of  the  authority  of  Presbyters,  such  re- 
luctance, instead  of  arguing  the  weakness  of  these  infer- 
ences gives  an  additional  brilliancy  to  the  features  of  truth. 
And  it  can  scarcely  be  deemed  a  breach  of  charity  to  as- 
sert, that  if  the  Apostle  had  said,  with  the  laying  on  of 
hands  of  "the  Episcopate"  instead  of  "  the  Presbyters," 
the  authority  of  his  office,  and  the  weight  of  his  argument, 
would  have  been  combined  in  all  their  force,  and  a  trium- 
phant conclusion  would  have  been  drawn  from  the  pas- 
sage, for  appropriating  the  right  of  ordination  exclusively 
to  the  Bishops." 

But  regardless  of  these  arguments,  of  which  only  a  small 
specimen  is  given,"  continues  Drew,  "to  prove  that  the 
order,  and  authority  of  Presbyters  and  Bishops  was  prima- 
rily the  same,  a  pious  Prelate  of  this  country  assumed  an 
opposite  position.  And  in  reference  to  the  ordination  of 
Dr.  Coke  by  Mr.  Wesley,  he  observes,  that,  "If  a  Presby-  • 
ter  can  ordain  a  Bishop,  then  the  greater  is  blessed  of  the 
less  ;"  thus  evidently  assuming  as  a  fact  the  very  point 
that  requires  proof,  namely,  that  a  Bishop  is  of  an  order 
superior  to  Presbyters.  And  no  doubt  if  this  fact  could 
be  substantiated,   that  the  argument  would  be  conclusive 


76  WESLEY  &    COKE 

against  the  ordination  in  question.  But  until  this  be  done 
the  argument  can  amount  to  nothing.  Mr.  Wesley's  bi- 
ographers therefore,  justly  remark,  that  the  Prelate  should 
have  overturned  Mr.  Wesley's  position,  namely,  'that  Bish- 
ops and  Presbyters  are  of  the  same  order,'  to  have  estab- 
lished his  own."     See  Life  of  Cojce  bv  Drew,  pp.  71,  72. 

We  would  here  remark,  we  have  made  long  quotations 
from  various  authors,  as  well  as  from  Mr.  Wesley   and  Dr. 
Coke,  because  the  nature  of  the  subject  requires  it,  and  is 
best  sustained  in  that  way.     And,  in  so  doing  we  think  we 
have   defended  Mr.  Wesley  and  Dr.  Coke  from  the  asper- 
sions cast  upon  them  by  Dr.  Chapman ;  in  that  we  have 
made  it  appear,  first;  that  Mr.  Wesley  did  believe  himself 
providentially  called,  and   scripturally  authorized,  to   pro- 
vide   for    the    establishment  of  the  Methodist   Episcopal 
Church  in  this  country.     And  when  he  laid  his  hands  on 
Dr.  Coke  it  was  not,  as  Dr.  Chapman  says,  simply  to  im- 
part "the  blessing  of  a  good  old  man  upon  a  fellow  labor- 
er," but  to  ordain  him  for  the  special  superintendence  of 
the  Methodist  societies  in  North  America;  and  to  empow- 
er him  to  do  every  thing  that  was  necessary  to  be  done  for 
their  good. 

Secondly;  that  Mr.  Wesley  was  sustained  by  scripture 
and  the  judgment  of  the  greatest  and  best  divines,  belong- 
ing to  the  Church  of  England,  as  well  as  to  other  churches, 
in  exercising  his  authority  by  ordaining  Dr.  Coke ;  and  in 
all  that  he  did  to  provide  for  his  brethren  in  this  wilder- 
ness at  their  earnest   request. 

Thirdly;  that  Dr.  Coke  in  writing  to  Bishop  White,  did 
not  express  any  dissatisfaction  with  his  own  Episcopal  au- 
thority ;  but  was  influenced  by  the  most  condescending  and 
enlarged  christian  benevolence,  leading  him  to  seek  the 
unionof  the  two  chuiches,  that  they  might  thereby  strength- 
en ea^ch  other,  and  do  the  greater  good  among  men :  and 


SCRIPTURAL  RIGHT  TO  ORGANIZE  77 

Fourthly;  that  Dr.  Coke  had  no  cause  to  be  ashamed  of 
his  Episcopal  office,  as  it  was  truly  scriptural,  and  Apostol- 
ic; as  much  so,  in  all  probability,  as  that  of  any  other  in- 
dividual :  and  that  he  so  regarded  it  to  the  day  of  his 
death. 

And  will  it  be  going  too  far  to  say,  that  the  results  of 
the  transactions  of  these  good  men,  go  far  to  establish  the 
fact  that  they  were  right;  and  that  what  they  did  in  rela- 
tion to  establishing  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was 
well  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God  ?  Who  can  tell  the  good 
that  has  been  done,  and  the  thousands  that  have  been 
brought  home  to  God,  and  safely  lodged  in  the  Paradise 
above  ?  while  hundreds  and  thousands  yet  on  earth,  are 
ready  to  rise  up  and  call  them  blessed. 

As  a  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  we  are  perfectly 
satisfied  with  our  organization,  and  establishment.  We 
are  fully  persuaded  that  our  ordination  is  Apostolic, 
our  doctrines  pure  and  scriptural,  and  our  discipline  and 
government,  such  as  God  approves.  We  are,  therefore, 
content  to  mind  the  same  things  that  we  at  first  embraced; 
and  to  persevere  in  the  same  good  old  way,  of  loving  God 
and  all  mankind,  and  endeavoring  to  spread  scriptural  ho- 
liness throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 

We  hope  never  to  enter  into  that  spirit,[that  can  slander 
the  ministers  of  any  branch  of  the  Christian  Church  ;  or 
that  will  labour  in  anywise  to  disparage  their  authority 
and  hinder  their  usefulness.  For  this  would  be  contrary  to 
christian  charity;  open  wide  the  mouth  of  infidelity  to  say, 
See  how  these  christians  hate  one  another;  and  especially, 
as  it  would  be  doing  that,  concerning  which,  Christ  has 
said,  "forbid  them  not."  A  spirit  of  bigotry,  strife,  and 
contention,  that  has  so  much  prevailed  in  the  different 
branches  of  the  Church  among  professing  christians,  has 
not  only  put  Christianity  to  the  blush ;  retarded  the  wheels 


78  SCRIPTURAL   RIGHT  TO  ORGANIZE 

of  Zion,  and  grieved  the  holy  spirit  of  God  ;  but  has  done 
more  injury  to  the  souls  of  men,  and  the  cause  of  the  Re- 
deemer, than  all  the  open  infidelity  in  the  world.  Noth- 
ing can  be  more  hateful  than  this  blind,  jealous  and  bitter 
spirit;  and  nothing  should  be  more  carefully  avoided  by 
all  christian  people. 

Let  it,  therefore,  be  hated,  rejected,  rebuked,  and  laid 
aside  forever  ;  and  let  true  christian  benevolence  prevail. 
Let  each  branch  of  the  Church  look  at  home,  where  it  will 
always  find  enough  to  do;  and  let  all  unite,  as  so  many 
branches  of  the  same  great  christian  family,  and  determine, 
in  the  exercise  of  true  brotherly  love,  not  only  to  bear  each 
other's  burdens,  and  so  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ,  but  to 
stand  shoulder  to  shoulder,  and  side  by  side,  in  the  great 
battle  against  the  common  enemy ;  to  push  the  battle  to 
the  gate,  and  beyond  it ;  and  never  to  rest  until  victory 
and  glory  shall  be  declared  on  Israel's  side.  Then,  indeed, 
shall  we  stand  forth,  "  clear  as  the  sun,  fair  as  the  moon, 
and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners."  Then  shall  our  light 
shine  in  obscurity,  and  the  giddy,  God-forgetting  world, 
shall  be  constrained  to  say.  See  how  these  christians  love 
one  another. 

Christian  brethren  !  brethren  of  different  denomina- 
tions of  christians,  yet  of  the  same  great  family,  having 
one  God  and  Father,  who  is  over  all;  one  Redeemer, 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  one  faith,  and  one  hope  of  one 
calling;  have  we  not  light  enough,  and  grace  enough, to  en- 
ter at  once  into  this  good  work  ?  May  God  help  us, 
and  may  the  time  speedily  come  when  we  shall  see  eye 
to  eye,  and  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace.     Amen  ! 


QUOTATIONS,  iC.  79 


CHAPTER     VII. 

Quotations  of  Doctors  Chapman  and  Cooke,  from  the  Fathers 

Our  Doctors  appeal,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  writings  of 
the  ancient  Fathers,  in  support  of  their  favorite  doctrine,  of 
Apostolic  Succession.  And  here  let  it  be  premised,  that, 
whatever  appears  to  be  genuine,  in  the  writings  of  the  Fa- 
thers, may  be  relied  on  as  firmly  as  the  writings  of  any 
other  good,  uninspired,  men.  And,  inasmuch  as  some  of 
them  were  co-temporary  with  the  Apostles,  and  others  im- 
mediately succeeded  them,  and,  consequently,  must  have 
been  conversant  with  all  the  doctrines  and  usages  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  in  its  original  constitution,  they  must  be 
considered  the  best  authority  that  can  be  found,  apart  from 
the  Holy  Scriptures.  And,  moreover?  we  are  compelled  to 
believe,  that,  whatever  the  ancient  Fathers  said,  accorded 
not  only  with  reason,  and  the  nature  and  fitness  of  things, 
but  also  with  the  word  of  God  itself.  But,  inasmuch  as 
the  writings  commonly  attributed  to  the  ancient  Fathers, 
have  been  suspected  of  corruption,  or  of  not  being  altogether 
genuine,  and  that  too,  by  *'  many  of  the  wisest  and  best  of 
men  in  different  ages  of  the  world" — (see  Dr.  Lardner  on 
the  Credibility  of  the  Gospel  Hist.,  vol.  2,  p.  68) — we  should 
be  careful  how  we  receive  w^hat  we  find  in  them.  And  what 
we  find  not  to  accord  with  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  we  may 
feel  ourselves  justifiable  in  denouncing,  as  corruptions,  from 
some  more  modern  and  unholy  hand. 

With  this  understanding,  we  proceed  to  notice  the  quota- 
tions made  from  their  writings,  by  Doctors  Chapman  and 
Cooke.  And  here  we  would  remark,  it  is  reasonable  to 
suppose,  that  they  have  quoted  what  they  believe  to  be  the 


80  QUOTATIONS 

most  likely,  of  all  that  they  could  find,  to  support  their  favo- 
rite doctrines. 

Dr.  Chapman,  in  p.  51,  in  the  first  place,  quotes,  what  he 
says  is  from  the  writings  of  Ignatius,  as  follows:  "To  the 
Magnetians.  I  exhort  you  that  you  study  to  do  all  things  in  a 
divine  concord  ;  your  bishop  presiding  in  the  place  of  God  ; 
your  presbyters  in  the  place  of  the  Council  of  the  Apostles  ; 
and  your  deacons,  most  dear  to  me,  being  entrusted  with  the 
ministry  of  Jesus  Christ." 

That  this  ancient  servant  of  God  should  desire  and  ad- 
monish, that  all  things  should  be  done  in  a  divine  concord, 
in  the  Church  of  Christ ;  that  the  bishops,  when  present, 
should  preside  in  their  councils  ;  and  that  the  deacons,  as 
ministers  of  Christ,  should  be  dear  to  his  heart,  we  may 
readily  believe.  But  who  can  believe  that  one  of  the  ancient 
Fathers  ever  said,  that  bishops  were  to  preside  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  Church,  in  the  flace  of  God  !  The  thought  is 
shocking  to  every  piotis  mind  ;  if  not  blasphemous  in  itself. 

Again :  To  the  Trallians  :  "  Continue  inseparable  from 
Jesus  Christ  our  God,  and  from  your  bishop,  and  from  the 
commands  of  the  Apostles.  He  that  is  within  the  altar  is 
pure  ;  but  he  that  is  without,  that  does  anything  without  the 
bishop  and  presbyter  and  deacons,  is  not  pure  in  his  con- 
science. VVithout  these,  there  is  no  Church.  In  like  man- 
ner, let  all  reverence  the  deacons,  as  Jesus  Christ;  the  bish- 
ops, as  the  Father,  and  the  Presbyters,  as  the  Sanhedrim  of 
God,  and  College  of  the  Apostles." 

By  this  quotation,  it  would  appear,  that  Ignatius  not  only 
admonishes  the  professors  of  religion,  to  cleave  to  Christ, 
and  obey  constantly  the  commandments  given  them  by  the 
Apostles — which,  indeed,  every  true  Christian  should,  and 
must,  do,  in  order  to  obtain  eternal  salvation ;  and,  conse- 
quently, might  be  expected  to  do,  by  one  of  the  Fathers 
of  the  Church — but  he  is  made  to  utter  expressions,  that 


FROM    THE    FATHERS  81 

al-e,  in  themselves,  at  variance  with  every  principle  of  piety 
set  forth  in  the  Scriptures  of  Tiuth.  To  place  the  deacons 
on  a  level  with  Christ,  in  receiving  the  reverence  of  the 
Church  ;  and  the  bishops  on  a  level  with  the  Holy  and 
Eternal  Father  of  all  flesh,  is  more  than  can  be  believed  to 
have  proceeded  from  any  man  of  sense  and  piety,  much  less 
from  Ignatius,  one  of  the  ancient  Fathers.  Who  could  be- 
lieve, for  a  moment,  that  any  one,  not  devoid  of  all  rever- 
ence for  the  Holy  Trinity,  could  dare  to  indulge  such  senti- 
ments ?  much  less  to  express  them  in  such  w^ords. 

And,  in  another  quotation,  by  Dr.  Cooke,  Ignatius  is 
made  to  say,  in  his  address  to  the  Ephesians  ;  '*  It  is  there- 
fore evident,  that  we  ought  to  look  upon  the  bishop,  even  as 
we  would  do  upon  the  Lord  himself." 

The  ofBce  of  a  bishop  is,  truly,  a  highly  responsible  and 
dignified  office ;  and  consequently  a  high  degree  of  honor 
should  be  paid  to  one  who  holds  it.  But  to  say  that  a  bishop 
should  be  reverenced  or  looked  upon,  as  the  Lord  himself,  is 
not  only  going  farther  than  his  sacred  office  requires,  but 
much  farther  than  we  are  warranted  by  the  Holy  Scriptures." 

Another  quotation  from  Ignatius,  by  Dr.  Cooke,  p.  113,  is 
in  the  following  language:  "Who  can  endure  it,  that  a 
minister  of  tables  and  of  widows,  should  proudly  exalt  him- 
self above  those  at  whose  prayers,  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ  is  made."  Again':  *  Letpo  man  deceive  himself  j 
both  the  things  which  are  in  Heaven,  and  the  glorious  An- 
gels and  Princes,  whether  visible  or  invisible,  if  they  be- 
lieve not  in  the  blood  of  Christ,  it  shall  be  to  their  condem- 
oation."  And  again:  "They  abstain  from  the  Eucharist 
and  from  the  public  offices  ;  because  they  confess  not  the 
Eucharist  to  be  the  flesh  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Let 
that  Eucharist  be  looked  upon  as  well  established,  which  is 
either  offered  by  the  bishop,  or  by  him  to  whom  the  bishop 
has  given  his  consent."     Appendix,  pp.  21  and  22. 


83  QUOTATIONS 

Here  we  have  several  very  remarkable  Ihin^g^s.  First: 
By  the  prayers  of  a  bishop,  as  v/e  must  understand  it,  the 
body  and  blood  of  Christ  are  made, 

Secondly ;  That  some,  in  that  day,  abstained  from  the 
Eucharist,  because  they  did  not  confess  it  to  be  the  flesh  of 
our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ;  although  it  was  offered  by  a 
bishop  !  How  plain  it  is,  that  this  was  said  by  some  one  of 
much  more  recent  date  than  the  days  of  the  Fathers ;  for 
here  we  have  set  forth,  without  the  least  disguise,  the  Popish 
doctrine  of  transubstantiation :  a  doctrine  that  is  as  un- 
scriptural  as  it  is  absurd.  The  rest  of  the  absurdities  we 
may  pass  by,  because  they  have  no  apparent  connection 
with  the  subject  in  hand. 

We  must,  however,  notice  one  of  the  Doctor's  quotations^ 
although  it  seems  to  be  as  much  out  of  place  as  any  other. 
In  appendix,  p,  24,  he  quotes  from  the  epistle  of  Polycarp, 
as  follows :  "  If  any  man  can  remain  in  a  virgin  state,  to 
the  honor  of  the  flesh  of  Christ,  let  him  remain  without 
boasting."  What  this  has  to  do  with,  or  how  this  is  to 
prove,  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  Succession,  no  one  can  see; 
unless  the  assertion  of  the  unscriptural  doctrine  of  the  cel° 
ibacy  of  the  clergy,  as  held  by  the  Church  of  Rome,  can  do 
it ;  for  here  this  doctrine  is  as  plainly  taught,  as  it  can  pos- 
sibly be,  in  so  many  words. 

In  the  history  of  the  martyrdom  of  Ignatius,  which  is 
also  found  in  Dr.  Cook's  Essay,  it  is  said  :  "  Thus  was  he 
delivered  to  the  cruel  beasts,  that  so  the  desire  of  the  holy 
martyr,  Ignatius,  might  be  accomplished,  namely,  that  he 
might  not  be  burdensome  to  any  of  the  brethren,  by  the 
gathering  of  his  relics,  &c.  For  only  the  greater  and  harder 
of  his  holy  bones  remained';  which  we  carried  to  Antioch, 
and  there  put  up  in  a  napkin  !  as  an  inestimable  treasure 
left  to  the  Church,  by  the  grace  which  was  in  the  martyr  !'* 
**  And  being,  the  night  following,  watching,  with  tears,  in 
the  house,  praying  to  God,  with  our  bended  knees,  that  ht 


FROM    THE    FATHERS  83 

would  give  us  weak  men,  some  assurance  of  what  had  been 
before  done,  it  happened,  that  failing  into  a  slumber,  some 
of  us  on  a  sudden,  saw  the  blessed  Ignatius  standing  by  us, 
and  embracing  us  ;  others  beheld  the  blessed  martyr  praying 
for  us  :  others,  as  it  were  dropping  with  sweat,  as  if  he 
were  just  come  from  his  great  labor,  and  standing  by  the 
Lord:  whics,  when  we  saw,  being  filled  with  joy,  and  com- 
paring the  visions  of  our  dreams  with  one  another,  we  glo- 
rified God ;  and  being  assured  of  the  blessedness  of  the 
saint,  we  have  made  known  to  you  ,both  the  day  and  the 
time  !  that  being  assembled  together  according  to  the  time 
of  his  martyrdom,  we  may  communicate  with  the  combat- 
ant, and  most  valiant  martyr  of  Christ." 

Here  we  have  a  long  extract  from  the  writings  attributed 
to  the  ancient  Fathers,  for  the  purpose  of  proving  the  doc- 
trine of  Apostolic  Succession.  But  how  it  is,  that  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  Ignatius,  the  gathering  up  of  his  harder,  and  holy 
bones  ;  placing  them  in  a  napkin  ;  and  taking  them  to  An- 
tioch  ;  the  poor,  weak,  men  praying  to  him,  after  his  death  ; 
and  he  laboring  and  praying  for  them,  &c.,  has  any  relation 
to  the  subject,  we  cannot  possibly  conceive.  The  truth  of 
the  whole  matter  is,  as  plain  as  any  thing  can  be,  that  this 
doctrine  of  hard  and  holy  bones,  full  of  grace,  preserved  as 
a  great  treasure  to  the  Church,  or  the  doctrine  of  relics,  the 
adoration  of  saints,  &c.  &c.,  was  fabricated,  in  the  darkest 
ages  of  Popery,  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  the  dark  su- 
perstition and  abominable  avarice  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  ;  and  never  was  so  much  as  heard  of,  in  the  days  of 
the  ancient  Fathers.  And,  as  though  Dr.  Cooke  intended  to 
place  this  truth  beyond  any  possible  doubt  or  contradiction, 
in  p.  67  he  quotes  the  following  language  :  "  The  epistle  of 
Ignatius,  which  your  son  brought  out  of  Italy,  pure  from  all 
those  things  which  the  learned  have  hitherto  suspected  in 
the  larger  epistles."  Hence  we  see,  that  the  epistle  of  Ig- 
natius, that  is  relied  upon  so  much,  in  support  of  the  doc- 


84  QUOTATIONS 

trine  of  Apostolic  Succession,  according  to  its  own  showing, 
45ame  from  Italy,  the  very  seat  of  Popish  error  and  super- 
stition. We  therefore  conclude,  that  it  is  a  spurious  work, 
composed  by  some  arch  deceiver,  and  consequently  has  no 
claim  whatever,  to  the  authority  that  is  claimed  for  it. 

Now  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  these  portions  of 
the  writings  attributed  to  the  ancient  Fathers,  which  are 
most  likely  to  favor,  and  support  the  designs  of  those  who 
contend  for  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  succession,  have  been 
brought  into  view  by  them  ;  and  if  so  it  must  be  very  ap- 
parent, they  give  no  countenance  whatever,  to  any  such 
thing.  Indeed,  we  can  but  be  astonished,  that  any  man 
professing  the  holy  religion  of  Christ,  with  the  blessed 
Bible  in  his  hand,  and  claiming  to  be  a  Protestant,  could 
for  any  purpose  whatever,  give  the  least  sanction  to  the 
above  quotations  ;  which  more  abundantly  favor  the  blind 
bigotry  and  corruption,  of  the  iMother  of  Harlots,  than  any 
thing  else. 

But  granting,  that  the  ancient  Fathers  did  mention  the 
existence  of  Bishops,  Presbyters,  and  Deacons,  in  their  day; 
which  seems  to  be  all  that  can  be  proven  by  the  above  quo- 
tations,— and  this  much  could  be  proved  from  their  genu- 
ine writings — What  does  that  prove  in  relation  to  the  sub- 
ject in  hand?  Most  assuredly,  nothing  at  all.  For  the  ques- 
tion is  not,  Whether  the  church  was  oiiginally  organized 
with  officers  bearing  these  peculiar  titles  ?  but.  Whether 
Bishops  were  distinct  from  Presbyters,and  held  from  their  pe- 
culiar order,  the  supreme  rule  in  the  church,  and  the  sole 
power  to  ordain  and  set  apart  men  for  the  holy  ministry  ? 
That  they  had  not ;  and  that  they  were  one  in  order,  and 
authority,  with  the  Presbyters;  we  think  we  can  clearly 
prove  by  the  most  authentic  testimony. 

And,  first  ;  Dr.   Bangs,  in  his  work  on  Episcopacy  pp, 
33,  34,  says  ;  *'  Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  history 


FROM  THE  FATHERS  85 

of  the  church,  well  know  that  the  Presbyters,  of  the  church 
of  Alexandria  were  in  the  habit  of  ordaining  their  Bishops; 
whenever  a  vacancy  happened,  by  death  or  otherwise.  For 
the  truth  of  this  we  have  the  testimony  of  Archbishop  Ush- 
er, of  St.  Jerome,  and  of  Eutychicus,  a  Patriarch  of  Alex- 
andria. The  reason,  it  is  presumed,  why  this  practice  was 
kept  in  the  church  of  Alexandria,  is,  that  those  Presbyters 
preferred  the  simple  mode  of  primitive  ordination,  to  that 
more  pompous  method  which  had  obtained  in  some  other 
branches  of  the  church  ;  after  the  liberty  of  the  Presbyters 
was  restricted,  by  investing  that  authority  in  the  hands  of 
superior  ministers." 

Again.  Stillingfleet  says  ;  "  The  same  distinction  may- 
be observed,  under  the  gospel,  in  reference  to  the  fixed  offi- 
cers of  the  church  ;  for  we  may  consider  them  in  their  first 
state,  and  period,  as  the  Presbyters  did  rule"^  the  church  in 
common,  as  Jeiome  tells  us.  Before  the  jurisdiction  of 
Presbyters  was  restrained,  by  mutual  consent,  the  Presby- 
ters enjoyed  the  same  liberty,  that  the  Presbyters  among 
the  Jews  did,  of  ordaining  other  Presbyters,  by  that  power 
they  were  invested  in,  or  with,  at  their  ordination.  In  the 
first  primitive  church,  the  Presbyters  all  acted  in  common. 
It  being  likewise  fully  acknowledged  by  the  schoolmen, 
that  Bishops,  are  not  superior  above  Presbyters,  as  to  the 
power  of  order.  The  clearest  evidence  of  this  is  in  the 
church  of  Alexandria,  of  which  Jerome  speaks.  To  which 
we  may  add  what  Eutychicus  the  Patriarch  of  Alexandria, 
saith  in  his  Original  Ecclesia  Alexandrina,  (or  Annals  of 
the  Church  of  Alexandria,)  published  in  Arabic,,  by  the 
most  learned  Seldon,  who  expressly  affirms,  that  the  twelve 
Presbyters,  constituted  by  Mark,  upon  the  vacancy  of  the 
See,  did  choose  out  of  their  number,  one  to  be  head  over 
the  rest ;  and  the  other  eleven,  did  lay  their  hands  upon 
him,  and  bless  him,  and  made  him  Patriarch." 


86  QUOTATIONS 

Here  we  notice,  that  we  have  Archbishop  Usher,  and 
Stillingfleet,  two  eminent  divines  of  the  church  of  England; 
with  Jerome  and  Eutychicus  two  of  the  ancient  Fathers,  all 
testifying,  that  Presbyters,  by  virtue  of  their  ordination, 
were  invested  with  power  to  ordain;  and  consequently 
were  equal  in  authority  with  Bishops.  And  farther  ;  that 
they  not  only  did  possess  that  power,  but  it  was  their  prac- 
tice to  exercise  it,  on  all  proper  occasions  ;  and  finally, 
that  they  continued  to  do  so,  until  they,  by  mutual  consent, 
agreed  to  choose  from  among  themselves,  one,  to  have  spe- 
cial rule  over  them;  and  even  then,  it  was  their  habit  to  or- 
dain him  themselves.  All  of  which,  shows  most  conclu- 
sively, the  original  state  of  things,  in  the  church  of  Christ. 

In  the  life  of  Whitgift  p.  292.  we  find  the  following  tes- 
timony on  the  same  subject:  "It  has  been  observed,  that 
our  first  reformers  admitted  only  two  orders  of  Church  offi- 
cers, to  be  of  divine  appointment,  viz :  Bishops,  and  Dea- 
cons; a  Presbyter,  and  Bishop,  according  to  them,  being 
two  names  for  the  same  office.  But  Dr.  Bancroft  the  Arch- 
bishop's Chaplain,  in  a  sermon  at  Paul's  Cross,  January 
12th  1588,  maintained,  that  the  Bishops  of  England  were  a 
distinct  order  from  Priests,  and  had  superiority  over  them, 
"jure  divino"  and  directly  from  God.  This  was  new,  and 
strange  doctrine  to  the  Churchmen  of  these  times.  It  had 
always  been  said,  that  the  superiority  of  the  order  of  Bish- 
ops, above  Presbyters,  had  been  a  politic  human  appoint- 
ment, for  the  more  orderly  government  of  the  church :  be- 
gun about  the  third,  or  fourth  century ;  but  Brancroft  was 
of  the  first,  who  by  the  Archbishop's  directions,  advanced  it 
into  ^divine  right.'* 

Here  we  have  in  the  first  place,  an  assurance  that  the 
first  reformers,  up  to  the  year  1588  uniformly  held,  that 
there  were  but  two  orders  in  the  church  of  God,  by  divine 
appointment.     And  secondly.    When  in  the  third  or  fourth 


FROM  THE  FATHERS  87 

century,  it  was  agreed  that  Bishops  should  have  the  supreme 
rule,  it  was  a  politic  human' invention ;  consequently, 
leaving  out  of  the  question,  the  original  divine  authority. 
And  thirdly,  the  doctrine  of  the  divine  right  of  the  order  of 
Bishops,  was  introduced  for  the  first  time,  by  the  Archbish- 
op's direction,  at  a  late  period  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

To  bring  this  kind  of  testimony  to  a  close,  we  will  make 
a  few  more  quotations,  which  stand  in  close  connection 
with  the  former,  and  are  well  calculated  to  confirm  them.  It 
is  said,  "  Sir  Frances  Knolleys,  who  had  this  affair  at 
heart,  told  the  Archbishop,  that  Bancroft's  assertions  were 
contrary  to  the  command  of  Christ,  who  condemned  all 
superiority  among  the  Apostles.  The  same  gentleman, 
not  relying  upon  his  own  judgment,  wrote  to  the  learned 
Dr.  Reynolds  of  Oxford  for  his  opinion  of  Bancroft's  doc- 
trine, which  he  gave  him,  in  a  letter  now  before  me.  The 
letter  is  to  this  effect ;  •'  As  for  the  general  consent  of  the 
church,  which  the  Dr.  says, condemned  Aerius'  opinion  for 
heresy,  what  proof  does  he  bring  for  it?  It  appears,  he 
says,  in  Epiphanius  ;  but  I  say  it  does  not.  And  the  con- 
trary appears  by  St.  Jerome,  and  sundry  others  who  lived 
about  the  same  time.  I  grant  that  St.  Austin,  in  his  Book 
of  Heresies,  ascribes  this  to  Aerius  for  one  ;  that  he  said 
there  ought  to  be  no  difference  between  a  Priest,  and  a 
Bishop;  because  this  was  to  condemn  the  church's  order,and 
to  make  a  schism  therein.  But  it  is  a  quite  different  thing 
to  say  that,  by  the  Word  of  God  there  is  a  difference  be- 
tween them,  and  to  say  that  it  is  by  the  order  and  custom 
of  the  church  ;  which  is  all  St.  Austin  maintains.  When 
Harding,  the  Papist,  alleged  there  were  witnesses  to  prove 
the  opinion  of  Bishops,  and  Priests,  beiiig  of  the  same  or- 
der, to  be  heresy;  our  learned  Bishop  Jewell  cited  to  the 
contrary,  Chrysostom,  Jerome,  Ambrose,  and  St.  Austin 
kimself ;  and  concluded  his  answer  with  these  words;  *AJI 


m. 


# 

88  QUOTATIONS 

these,  and  other  more  holy  Fathers,  together  with  the  Apos- 
tle Paul,  for  thus  saying,  by  Dr.  Harding's  advice,  must  be 
held  for  heretics.  Michael  Medina,  a  man  of  great  ac- 
count in  the  Council  of  Trent,  adds  to  the  forementioned 
testimonies,  Theodorus,Premacious,  Sedulius,Theophilact, 
with  whom  agree  Occumenius  ;  the  Gieek  Scholiast  An- 
selem.  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Gregory  and  Grotian  ; 
besides  all  that  have  laboured  in  reforming  the  Church  for 
five  hundred  years,  have  taught  that  all  pastors,  be  they 
entitled  Bishop  or  Priest,  have  equal  authority  by  God's 
Word,  as  first  the  Waldenses,  next  Marsilius  Patavius,  then 
Wicklief  and  his  scholars,  afterwards  Hussee  and  the  Hus- 
sites, and  last  Luther,  Calvin,  Brentius,  BuUinger  and 
Musculus.  Among  ourselves,  we  have  Bishops,  the  Queen's 
Professors  of  Divinity  in  the  Universities,  and  other  learn- 
ed men  consenting  herein,  as  Bradford,  Lambert,  Jewell, 
Pilkerton,  Humphries,  Fulke,  &c.  But  what  do  I  speak 
of  particular  persons?  It  is  the  common  judgment  of  the 
Reformed  Churches  of  Helvetia,  Savoy,  France,  Scotland, 
Germany,  Hungary,  Poland,  the  Low  Countries,  and  our 
own.'  I  hope  he  (Bancroft)  will  acknowledge  that  he 
was  overseen,  when  he  avouched  the  superiority  which 
Igishops  have  among  us,  over  the  clergy,  to  be  God's  own 
ordinance." 

"  As  for  the  Doctor's  saying  that  St.  Jerome,  and  Calvin 
from  him,  confessed  that  Bishops  have  had  the  same  supe- 
riority ever  since  the  time  of  St.  Mark,  the  Evangelist,  I 
think  him  mistaken;  because  neither  Jerome  says  it,  nor 
does  Calvin  seem  to  confess  it  on  his  report ;  for  Bishops, 
among  us,  may  do  sundry  other  things,  besides  ordaining 
and  laying  on  of  hands,  which  inferior  ministers  or  Priests 
may  not ;  whereas  St.  Jerome  says,  what  does  a  Bishop  ex- 
cept ordination,  which  a  Priest  does  not?  meaning  that 
in  his  time,  Bishops  had  only  that  power  above  PriestS"; 


FROM   THE   FATHERS  89 

which  Chrysostom  also  witnesses  in  Homily  xi.on  1st  Tim- 
othy. IN  or  had  they  this  privilege  alone  in  all  places;  for 
in  the  council  of  Carthage  it  is  said,  that  the  Priests  laid 
their  hands,  together  with  the  Bishops,  on  those  who  were 
ordained.  And  at  St.  Jerome's  having  proved  by  scripture 
that  in  the  Apostles'  time,  Bishops  and  Priests  were  all 
one  ;  yet  granting,  that  afterwards.  Bishops  had  that  pecu- 
liar to  themselves  somewhere  but  nothing  else  ;  so  that  St. 
Jerome  does  not  say,  concerning  the  superiority  in  ques- 
tion, that  Bishops  have  had  it  ever  since  St.  Mark's  time." 

"Nor does  Calvin  confess  it.  He  says,  that  in  old  time 
ministers  chose  one  out  of  their  own  company  in  every 
city,  to  whom  they  gave  the  title  of  Bishop ;  yet  the  Bishop 
was  not  above  them  in  honor  and  dignity.  But  as  Consuls 
in  the  Senate  propose  matters,  ask  their  opinions,  direct 
others  by  giving  advice;  by  admonishing  and  so  guide  the 
whole  action,  and  by  their  authority,  see  that  performed, 
which  was  agreed  on  by  common  consent,  the  same 
charge  had  the  Bishops  in  the  assembly  of  ministers;  and 
having  showed  from  St.  Jerome,  that  this  was  brought  in 
by  consent  of  men,  he  adds,  that  it  was  an  ancient  order  of 
the  church  even  from  St.  Mark  ;  from  whence  it  is  appar- 
ent, that  the  order  of  the  church,  he  mentions,  has  relation 
to  that  above  described,  in  which  he  affirms,  that  the  Bish- 
op, was  not  so  above  the  rest  in  honor  as  to  have  rule  over 
them.  It  follows  therefore,  that  Calvin  does  not  so  much 
as  seem  to  confess  of  St.  Jerome's  report,  that  ever  since 
St.  Mark's  time,  Bishops  have  had  a  ruling  superiority  over 
the  clergy."     See  Neal's  Hist.  &c.  p  p.  4S1.  2,  3. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  letter  of  Dr.  Reynolds,  see 
the  testimony  given  by  Cranmer  and  others. — "  Cranmer 
expressed  his  opinion  formally  in  writing,  that  Bishops  and 
Priests,  were  one  and  no  two  things,  but  both  one  office  in 
the  beginning  of  Christ's  religion."  "The  Bishop  of  St, 
12 


90  QUOTATIONS 

Davids,  my  Lord  elect  of  Westminster,  Dr.  Cox,  and  Dr. 
Redman  say,  that  at  the  beginning  they  were  all  one." 
Burnett's  Append,  pp.  223,  4,  5. 

"  Thirteen  Bishops,  with  a  great  number  of  other  Eccle- 
siastics, subscribed  this  proposition,  that  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament there  is  no  mention  made  of  any  degrees,  or  dis- 
tinctions, in  Older;  but  only  of  Deacons,  or  ministers, and  of 
Priests  or  Bishops."     Burnett  ut  supra  p.  324. 

*•'  Cranmer  says,  in  the  New  Testament  he  that  is  ap- 
pointed Bishop  or  Priest,  needeth  not  the  consecration  by 
the  scriptures,  for  election  or  appointment  thereto  is  suffi- 
cient ;  Latimer  and  Hooper  maintain  the  identity  of  Bish- 
ops and  Presbyters  by  divine  institution."  Voetie  Polit. 
Eccles.  Tom.  ii.  p.  837. 

'*  The  Fathers  of  the  reformation  were  very  far  from  en- 
tertaining such  ridiculous  and  illiberal  sentiments.  Knox's 
call  to  the  ministry  was  never  questioned,  but  his  services 
readily  accepted  when  he  afterwards  went  to  England. 
Archbishop  Cranmer  in  the  reign  of  Edward  vi.,  and  all 
the  Bishops  in  the  beginning  of  Elizabeth's  reign  corres- 
ponded with,  and  cheerfully  owned,  the  foreign  divines  as 
brethren  and  fellow  laborers  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel. 
In  the  year  1582,Archbishop  Grindel,  by  a  formal  deed,  de- 
clared the  validity  of  the  orders  of  Mr.  John  Morrison,  who 
had  been  ordained  by  the  Synod  of  Lothian,  according  to 
the  laudable  form  and  rite  of  the  Reformed  Church  of 
Scotland."  See  Stipes'  Life  of  Grindel,  Append.  Book 
ii.  Numb.  17  p.  lOL 

From  the  foregoing  testimony,  it  is  evident  that  the 
succession  contended  for,  in  modern  times,  is  utterly 
void,  and  without  so  much  as  a  shadow  of  foundation  ;  so 
for  as  it  depends  upon  the  opinions,  and  judgment  of  an- 
cient divines  concerning  the  original,  divine  right  of  Bish- 
ops to  rule  the  church  of  Christ,  in  preference  to  Presby- 


FROM    THE    FATHERS  91 

ters.  For  when,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  the  doctrine  of 
the  superiority  of  Bishops  to  Presbyters,  by  divine  appoint- 
ment, was  first  asserted,  it  was  considered  new,  and 
strange,  and  consequently  excited  strong  contention  in 
that  church,  and  caused  a  mighty  host  of  witnesses  to  come 
forward  and  declare,  that  it  was  contrary,  not  only  to  the 
uniform  views  of  the  church,  but  especially  to  the  plain 
declarations  of  Christ  himself. 

It  is  conceded  freely,  that  the  Church  mi^ht  have,  ac- 
cording to  her  own  Ecclesiastial  policy,  for  her  own  conve- 
nience and  safety,  if  she  thought  it  necessary,  Bishops, 
possessing  in  themselves,  in  virtue  of  their  office,  superior 
powers  over  Presbyters  and  Deacons.  All  this  might  be 
well  enough  in  itself;  and  cause  but  little  controversy 
among  divines.  But  when,  in  addition  to  this,  divine 
right  is  claimed  for  the  supremacy  of  Bishops,  nothing  less 
than  an  appeal  to  the  sacred  scriptures,  can  settle  the 
question.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  say,  that  this,  or  that  great 
man,  or  synod,  or  assembly  of  the  most  learned  divines, 
has  so  decided.  It  must  be  found  in  the  sacred  volume, 
"thus  saith  the  Lord."  But,  according  to  many  of  the 
wisest  and  best  of  divines — as  well  in,  as  out  of,  the 
Church  of  England,  in  the  days  of  the  reformation,  and 
down  to  the  present  day — Stillingfleet,  and  Archbishop 
Cranmer  among  them — nothing  of  the  kind  can  be  found; 
and  we  venture  to  say,  never  will 'be  found  ;  for  the  con- 
trary doctrine  is  taught  therein  as  plainly  as  it  possibly 
can  be.  This,  then,  in  itself,  settles  the  question  as  to 
any  succession  of  Bishops,  as  a  superior  order  in  the 
Church,  according  to  divine  appointment.  And  what  is 
more  remarkable,  no  man  ever  did,  or  can,  set  forth  any 
direct  line  of  succession  of  Bishops,  even  accoiding  to  hu- 
man appointment. 


92  CRANMER  and  LATIMEK 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Archbishop  Cranmer  and  Bishop  Latimer  never  were  Catholic  Bishops^ 
as  asserted  by  Dr.  Chapman.  Destruction,  by  Queen  Mary,  of  the 
Reformation.    Her  death. 

The  object  of  Dr.  Chapman,  in  striving  to  invalidate  the 
ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  to  place 
her  among  the  "  spurious  churches  of  recent  invention," 
appears  to  be  plainly  this ;  that  he  may  the  better  exalt 
his  own  "beloved  Zion  ;"  and,  if  possible,  show,  that 
she  is  the  only  true  Protestant  Church,  and  that  her  minis- 
try is  the  only  truly  authorized  ministry,  as  they  alone  in 
this  country,  stand,  in  his  estimation,  in  the  regular  line 
of  Apostolic  succession. 

Yet,  after  examining  his  Book  of  Sermons,  I  find  no 
proof  of  the  right  of  his  church  to  Apostolic  succession. 
It  is  true,  he  roundly  asserts,  that  "Cranmer,  Latimer,  and 
others,  were  Bishops  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  ;"  and 
in  this  way,  and  through  this  muddy  channel,  claims  the 
succession,  But  he  does  not  attempt,  in  any  way,  to 
prove  his  assertions  ;  which,  of  course,  is  essentially  ne- 
cessary, in  order  to  establish  his  claim.  And,  why  did 
he  not  do  this  ?  The  answer  is  plain ;  because  he  could 
not.  For — as  surprising  as  it  may  seem — the  truth  is, 
that  Cranmer  and  Lalimer  never  were  Catholic  Bishops  ; 
Dr.  Chapman's  round  assertion  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. 

Having  taken  for  granted  that  Cranmer  and  Latimer 
were  Catholic  Bishops — the  very  thing  that,  above  all  oth- 
ers, should  have  been  proved — he  proceeds  to  argue,  that 
their    "change  to   the  protestant   faith,    did  not  vacate 


NOT   CATHOLIC  BISHOPi  93 

their  Episcopal  rank  ;"  as  though  the  whole  matter  in 
dispute  depended  upon  this,  which,  no  one  of  common 
of  common  understanding,  under  the  influence  of  sound 
gospel  principles,  would  think,  for  a  moment,  of  calling 
in  question.  The  great  question  is,  Were  Cranmer,  Lat- 
imer, and  others,  to  whom  he  refers,  Roman  Catholic 
Bishops  ?  and  did  they,  as  such,  transfer  their  episcopal 
authority  to  others,  so  that  those  men,  who  consecrated 
Matthew  Parker,  in  Elizabeth's  reign,  were  enabled  to  per- 
form that  solemn  act,  in  virtue  of  their  Catholic  consecra- 
tion ?  If  so,  then  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  may 
have  some  shadow  of  claim  to  Apostolic  succession  ;  pro- 
vided such  succession  can  be  derived,  through  the  Catholic 
Church.  But,  if,  on  the  contrary,  it  can  be  proved,  that 
Cranmer  and  Latimer  were  only  Priests — and  that  this  is 
true,  see  New  Biog.  Magazine,  by  G.  W.  Johnson,  L.L.D. 
vol.  6th,  pp.  406-468— then  the  Doctor's  claim  falls  to  the 
ground;  and  he  and  his  church,  are  left  in  the  same 
condition  with  the  rest  of  the  churches,  of  which  he  has 
spoken  so  lightly. 

Dr.  Cooke,  who  wrote  immediately  after  Dr.  Chapman, 
although  he  was  not  a  divine,  and  had  turned  his  attention 
to  the  subject,  but  for  a  few  weeks,  seems  to  have  arrived 
at  a  better  understanding  of  the  true  origin  of  the  present 
Church  of  England,  than  Dr.  Chapman.  Instead  of  going 
back  to  Cranmer,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  viii :  he  goes  no 
farther,  than  to  Matthew  Parker,  in  the  days  of  Queen  Eli- 
zabeth; knowing,  that  all  that  had  been  done  by  Cranmer 
and  others,  in  his  day,  had  been  destroyed^in  the  reign  of 
Mary ;  and  hence  it  was  proper,  to  commence  with  Mat- 
thew Parker,  and  Queen  Elizabeth. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  Dr.  is  right  in  this,  and  with 
his  strong  logical  powers,  must  have  discovered,  that,  to 
make  out  the  succession,  it  was  essentially  necessary  to 


94  CRANMER  AND  LATIMER 

• 

prove,  that  the  consecrators  of  Parker,  had  themselves,  re- 
ceived Catholic  consecration  ;  he  makes  no  such  attempt. 
But,  taking  for  granted  this,  which  forms  the  very  gist  of 
the  argument,  he  states  ;  "It  has  been  doubted  whether, 
the  ordination  of  Archbishop  Parker,  through  whom  all 
the  Bishops,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  England, 
derived  their  ordination,  was  perfectly  canonical ;  be- 
cause, the  persons  who  ordained  him,  had  been  deprived  of 
their  Bishoprics,  and  expelled  the  country,  by  the  Popish 
party,  on  the  accession  of  Mary  to  the  crown  of  England." 
See  Cooke's  Essay  p.  20?.  The  Dr.  as  a  good  reasoner, 
must  know,  that,  the  first  thing,  he  ought  to  have  done, 
was  to  have  stated  the  doubt  of  the  validity  of  Parker's  or- 
dination ;  and  then  to  have  produced  sufficient  testimony 
to  expel  that  doubt.  But  this  he  does  not  so  much  as  at- 
tempt to  do;  but — as  a  well  trained  Jesuit  would  do,  al- 
though he  is  not  one — makes  use  of  the  most  perfect  soph- 
istry, to  cover  his  retreat. 

Who,  but  one,  who  wished  to  cavil,  w^ould  think  for  a 
moment,  of  disputing  the  authority  of  Parker's  consecra- 
tors, simply  because  they  had  been  driven  from  their  church, 
and  country,  into  a  state  of  exile  ?  Such  a  circumstance 
could  never  invalidate  their  Episcopal  authority,  in  the  es- 
timation of  any  honest,  and  sound  divine ;  and  conse- 
quently, all  the  Doctor's  grave  argument  on  this  subject, 
together  with  his  illustration  in  the  case  of  Pates,  and  oth- 
ers, goes  for  nothing. 

Again.  He  seems,  unwillingly,  to  confess  too  much, 
for  the  good  of  his  own  cause,  when  he  admits  that  Parker 
was  consecrated  by  some  of  the  men,  who  had  been  driven 
from  their  Sees,  in  Mary's  reign  ;  and  that  it  had  been 
doubted,  whether  Parker's  ordination,  was  strictly  canon- 
ical. 

This  is  of  vital  importance,  in  this  controversy.  For  here 


,  NOT    CATHOLIC     BISHOPS  95 

we  hs-YQ  first,  the  acknowledged  consecrators  of  Matthew 
Parker;  and  secondly,  that  their  authority  had  been  doubted  ; 
and  that,  too,  no  doubt,  on  very  different  grounds,  from  those 
given  by  Dr.  Cooke.  For  we  promise  to  show,  that  if  ever 
they  were  ordained  at  all,  it  was  neither  by  Catholic  Bish- 
ops, nor  by  any  one  who  had  derived  authority  from  them. 
To  do  this,  we  shall  produce  testimony  from  Protestants  and 
Catholics,  from  Kings,  Queens,  and  Parliaments  ;  sources 
of  the  first  and  highest  respectability. 

For  this  purpose,  and  at  the  same  time  to  ascertain  the 
claim  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  to  Apostolic 
Succession,  it  will  be  necessary,  in  the  first  place,  to  exam- 
ine the  source  from  which  the  first  ministers  received  their 
consecration. 

Her  first  Bishop,  received  his  Episcopal  authority  from  the 
Church  of  England,  in  1787.  She  was  organized  as  a 
Church,  in  this  country,  by  a  convention  held  for  that  pur- 
pose, in  1789;  two  years  after  the  consecration  of  her  first 
Bishop,  and  five  years  after  the  organization  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  As,  therefore,  the  Church  of  En- 
gland is  the  foundation  on  which  she  depends  for  uninter- 
rupted succession,  to  her  we  we  will  now  direct  our  atten- 
tion. 

The  Church  of  England  took  its  name,  but  not  its  pres- 
ent establishment,  in  the  leign  of  Henry  VIII,  King  of  En- 
gland, about  the  year  1533.  See  Mosheim's  Church  Hist.^ 
vol.  3,  p.  78.  The  circumstances  which  led  to  this,  are 
briefly  as  follows  :  The  King,  desiring  to  be  divorced  from 
his  wife,  Catharine,  of  Arragon — with  whom  be  had  lived 
17  years,  and  who  had  'borne  him  five  children — that  he 
might  marry  Anne  Boleyn,  applied  to  the  Pope  for  a  di- 
vorce. But,  on  his  delaying  or  refusing  to  grant  his  request, 
the  King,  ofTended  at  his  movement,  renounced  his  autho- 
rity, and  assumed  to  himself  the  title  and  authority  of  Su- 


96  CRANMER     AND     LATIMER 

preme  Head  on  Earth  of  the  Church  of  England  ;  and  he 
was  soon  after  confirmed  in  his  new  dignity,  by  an  Act  of 
Parliament.  Having  thus  concentrated  in  himself,  all  ec. 
clesiastical,  as  well  as  civil  jurisdiction,  he  proceeded  to 
nominate  Thomas  Cranmer,  who  was  a  Priest,  and  a  favor- 
ite, to  the  See  of  Canterbury;  who,  in  accordance  with  the 
King's  nomination,  was  consecrated  Archbishop,  by  the 
Bishop  of  Lincoln,  Exeter,  and  St.  Asaph,  March  lOth, 
1533.  See  Chalmer's  Gen.  Bio.  Die,  pp.  463-4.  But,  al- 
though Cranmer's  consecration  was  performed  by  Catholic 
Bishops,  we  shall  show — as  this  is  the  channel  through 
which  the  succession  is  claimed — that  there  were  in  it  se- 
veral important  defects,  which  rendered  it  not  only  illegal, 
but,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  null  and  void. 

First.  According  to  the  established  rule,  and  usage  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  he  should  have  been  nominated  by  Dean, 
and  Chapter.  But  he  was  nominated,  as  we  have  seen,  by 
the  King. 

Second.  It  is  said  his  nomination  never  received  the 
confirmation  of  the  Pope,  which  was  necessary,  to  give  hiin 
power  of  jurisdiction  ;  so  that,  while  he  possessed  the 
power  of  order,  he  did  not  possess  legal  jurisdiction.  "  The 
objection  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  to  the  legality  of  our  Re- 
former's (viz.,  Cranmer's)  vocation,  was,  that  although  he 
had  received  the  power  of  order,  he  wanted  that  of  jurisdic- 
tion ,  these  two  being  distinct,  according  to  the  Common 
Law."  See  Nic.  Burns'  Dispu.,  &;c.,  p.  128.  This  testi- 
mony being  true,  he  could  not  legally  proceed  to  exercise 
the  functions  of  his  office. 

Third.  It  is  well  known  that  Cranmer  did  disclaim  all 
authority  from  the  See  of  Rome,  soon  after  he  commenced 
the  Reformation ;  and,  in  the  exercise  of  his  episcopal 
functions,  claimed  to  act,  solely  under  the  authority,  of  his 
Prince.     He  constantly  held  and  proclaimed  the  doctrine,. 


NOT    CATHOLIC    BISHOPS  »  97 

that  the  appointment  of  a  Prince,  was  sufficient  to  consti- 
tute  Bishops  and  Priests,  without  any  consecration  what- 
ever;  which,  in  all  probability,  would  not  have  been  the 
case,  if  he  had  considered  his  consecration,  by  the  Catholic 
Bishops,  valid,  according  to  Catholic  usages. 

Fourth.  The  conduct  of  Henry  and  Cranmer,  in  renoun- 
cing the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  the  Church  of  Rome, 
and  taking  steps  to  form  an  independent  Church,  were  so 
oifensive  to  the  Pope,  that,  after  some  delay,  and  striving  to 
bring  them  to  repentance,  without  effect,  he  proceeded  to 
excommunicate  them,  together  with  the  whole  nation  to 
which  they  belonged.  Matters  stood  in  this  posture  until 
Queen  Mary  came  to  the  throne,  and  restored  the  Papal  au- 
thority. See  INeal's  Hist.  P.;  vol.  1.  pp.  25,  71.  This  cir- 
cumstance alone,  is  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  honest  inquirer 
after  truth,  that  Cranmer  could  not  have  acted  as  Bishop,  un- 
der Catholic  authority.  For,  suppose  every  thing  else  had 
been  right,  in  this  ordination — which  we  do  not  grant — this 
would  have  destroyed  the  whole. 

Buck,  in  his  Theological  Dictionary,  p.  148,  says  :  **  Ex- 
communication is  founded  upon  a  natural  right,  which  all 
societies  have,  of  excluding  out  of  their  body,  such  as  vio- 
late the  laws  thereof :  audit  was  originally  instituted,  for 
preserving  the  purity  of  the  Church.  In  the  ancient  Church 
the  power  of  excommunication  was  lodged  in  the  hands  of 
the  Clergy,  who  distinguished  it  into  the  greater  and  less." 
And  it  may  be  observed,  that  excommunication  is  not  only 
founded  on  natural  right,  and  usage  of  the  primitive  Church, 
but  also  in  a  Divine  right ;  for  God,  in  his  Word,  has  com- 
manded, that  the  unholy  and  incorrigible  sinner,  should  be 
ci^t  off  from  among  his  people.  See  John,  9  c.  22  v. ;  1st 
Cbrinthians,  5  c.  5  v.,  26  c.  22  v.  And  this  is  the  reason 
that  the  Church  is  justifiable  in  such  an  awful  transaction. 

It  must  be  kept  in  mind,  that  we  are  not  pleading  in  favor 
13 


9d  CRANMER    AND    LATIMER 

df  the  usages  or  conduct  of  the  Catholic  Church ;  for  we  can 
but,  in  all  honesty  and  candor,  hold  her,  with  all  her  blood 
and  pollution,  as  the  Mother  of  Harlots ;  with  whom  we 
have  no  disposition  to  make  any  compromise.     Neither  do 
we  intend  to  say  any  thing  against  the  great  and  good  re- 
former, Bishop  Cranmer,  or  any  thing  that  he  did,  which 
was  calculated  to  reform  the  horrid  abuses,  and  to  correct 
the  errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome;  for  we  believe  he  did 
many  things  worthy  of  all  acceptation.     But  we  intend  to 
say,  that  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  had  her  rules  and 
regulations  ;  or,  in  other  words,  her  legal,  ecclesiastical,  ju- 
risdiction, which  she  exercised  over  all  her  members ;  and 
when  any  one  of  them  transgressed  against  her  authority, 
she  had  a  right  to  excommunicate  them.     And  when  they 
were  thus  excluded  from  her  communion,  they  could  no 
longer  -claim  union  with  her,  or  benefit   from  her  institu- 
tions ;  according  to  the  best  understanding  of  natural  and 
Divine  right,  and  the  uniform  custom  of  every  branch  of 
the  Church.     This  must  be  granted  by  all  parties.     And 
hence,  it  is  evident,  when  she  proceeded,  on  her  acknowl- 
edged principles,  to  excommunicate  Henry  and  Cranmer, 
with  all  the  newly  erected  Church  of  England,  they  could  not 
claim  to  act,  in  any  wise,  under  or  by  virtue  of,  her  authority. 
Suppose,  for  arguments  sake,  a  bishop  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  were  tooifend  against  her,  and  she  were 
to  proceed  according  to  her  acknowledged  and  established 
ccclesiasti<ial  laws,  to  excommunicate  him.    Could  he  con- 
tinue still  to  exercise  Episcopal  functions,  in  virtue  of  her 
authority;  or  the  authority  he  formerly  received  of  her? 
Most  certainly  he  could  not ;  as  the  power  that  gave  him 
existence  as  a  Bishop,  had  taken  that  existence  away,  and 
deprived  him  of  all  ecclesiastical  authority.     It  is  true, 
that  one  in  such  a  case,  might  proceed  to  raise  up  a  new 
ehurch,  and  call  it  by  whatever  name  he  pleased.  And  it  is 


NOT  CATHOLIC  BISHOPS  99 

filso  true,  that  his  people  might  acknowledge  him  as  their 
Bishops.    But  they  never  could,  in  truth,  tell  the  world,  that 
he  was  Bishop,  by  virtue  of  the  authority  of  the  church  from 
which  he  was  expelled.     This  and  worse  is  precisely  the 
condition  of  the  church  of  England,  to  this  day,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  ;  by  which  she  is 
charged  with  being  guilty  of  the  Vilest  schism,  and  heresy. 
From  the  whole  then,  the  conclusion  is  inevitable  ;  that 
if  there  be  any  virtue  in  Catholic  consecration,  according 
to  Catholic  usages,  Cranmer  had  it  not,   when  he  acted  as 
Archbishop  of  the  Church  of  England.     And  as  a  natural 
consequence,  the   Church  of  England  has  no  just  claim, 
through  him,  to  apostolic  succession,derived  from  the  Cath- 
olic Church ;  if  indeed  that  succession  did   exist.     Here 
then,  Dr.  Chapman,  and  his  ''beloved  Zion,"  are  cut  off,  at 
once  ;  and  his  round  assertion,  that  Cranmer  was  a  Cathol- 
ic Bishop,   through  whom  he  attempts  to  connect  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal,  with  the  Roman  Catholic,  Church,  and 
thus  to  gain  the  succession — is  refuted. 

We  must  believe  that  Archbishop  Cranmer,  knew  the 
manner  of  his  calling,  better  than  any  of  our  modern  Doc- 
tors, or  Bishops  ;  and  it  is  certain,  he  made  no  such  ac- 
count of  it,  as  some  of  them  desire  to  do.  He  was,  **  for 
being  directed  wholly  by  the  civil  magistrates  ;  which  has 
since  been  distinguished,  by  the  name  of  Erastranism.  Ac- 
cordingly, he,  and  the  rest  of  the  Bishops,  took  out  commis- 
sions, to  hold  their  Bishoprics  during  the  King's  pleasure, 
and  to  exercise  their  jurisdiction,  by  his  authority  only." 
See  Neal's  H.  P.  vol,  i.  p.  38. 

Archbishop  Cranmer,  carried  this  doctrine  to  such  an  ex- 
tent, that  he  refused  to  act  at  all,  after  king  Henry's  de- 
cease, until  his  commission  was  renewed,  under  the  reign 
of  Edward  VI.  This  is  evident,  from  the  following  testimo- 
ny, found  in  page  25  of  the  work,  from  which  we  have  just 


100  CRANMER  AND  LATIMER 

quoted.  In  speaking  of  the  Bishops,  receiving  their  commis- 
sions from  the  King,  the  author  says;     "  In  this  the  Arch- 
bishop, (Cranmer)  had  a  principal   hand  ;  for   it  was   his 
judgment,   that  the  exercise  of  all  Episcopal  jurisdiction, 
depended  upon  the  Prince  ;  and,  that,    as   he  gave  it,  he 
might   restrain,  or  take  it  away,  at  his  pleasure.    Cranmer 
thought  the  exercise  of  his  own  Episcopal  authority  ended, 
with  the  late  King's  life  ;  and  therefore  Would  not  act  as 
Arch-bishop  till   he  had  a  new    commission    from   King 
Edward.'*      So  far  indeed  was  Archbishop  Cranmer,  from 
claiming  to  act  under  Papal  authority,  that  he  did  not  so 
much  as  desire  it ;  but  held   the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
in  the  most  perfect  contempt.   This  clearly  appears  from 
the  following  language,  employed  by  him,  when  speaking 
of  that  Church.     Recalls   her    "  Idolatrous  and  unchris- 
tian, not    only  a  Harlot,  as  the  scriptures  calleth  her, 
but  also  a  foul,  filthy,  old  withered  harlot ;  the  foulest  and 
filthiest,  that  ever  was  seen."     See  Hom.  against  Peril  of 
Idol.     Part  3d  p.  216,  Edit.   Oxford  1802. 

To  sum  up  the  whole  ;  we  have  found  Cranmer's  ordi- 
nation defective,  according  to  Catholic  usages.  He  cast 
off,  and  despised,  all  Papal,  or  foreign  Ecclesiastical  juris- 
diction. He  was  expelled,  or  rather  excommunicated, 
from  the  pale  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  all  its- 
immunities  ;  and  he  held  to,  preached,  and  acted  on,  the 
doctrine,  that  nothing  more  was  necessary  to  constitute 
Bishops,  and  Priests,  &c,  than  the  appointment  of  the  rul- 
ing Prince,  who  could  create, or  destroy,at  his  own  pleasure.. 
We  are  therefore  satisfied,that  the  doctrine  of  apostolic  sue* 
cession  so  far  as  it  depended  on  Catholic  consecration 
through  him,  is  entirely  lost. 

After  the  decease  of  Henry  VIII.  his  son  Edward  VI.. 
came  to  the  throne  ;  and  it  is  said,  in  his  reign,  the  refor- 
mation was    considerably   advanced.     But  he  was  soon 


NOT    CATHOLIC    BISHOPS  101 

called  from  earth,  to  a  world  of  Spirits,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Mary  his  sister,  who  has  been  very  significantly  called 
*' Bloody  Qaeen  Mary."  She  was  ardently  attached  to  the 
See  of  Rome;  and  consequently,  exerted  all  her  authority, 
to  destroy  every  thing  that  pertained  to  the  reformation, 
and  once  more  to  establish  the  dominion  of  Popery, 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  It  appears, 
that  she  but  too  well  succeeded,  although  by  the  kind  pro- 
vidence of  God,  her  reign  was  short.  She  came  to  the 
throne  in  August  1553 ;  and  died,  Nov.  17th  1558,  having 
put  to  death,  in  her  short  reign  of  five  years,  according  to 
Burleigh,  "400  persons,  by  public  execution;  besides 
those  who  were  secretly  murdered  in  prison — of  these  20 
were  Bishops,  and  clergymen,  60  women,  and  40  children." 
See  Burleigh's  Hist,  of  Ref.  vol.  iii.  p.  264. 

How  true  is  the  expression,  found  in  the  Sacred  Oracles, 
"  one  sinner  spoileth  much  good."  In  what  a  short  time 
did  the  murderous  spirited  Mary,  in  her  blind,  yet  fiery 
zeal,  for  Popery,  not  only  destroy  the  work  of  reformation, 
so  far  as  it  had  been  carried  on  by  her  predecessors  ;  but 
the  lives  of  hundreds  of  men,  women  and  children,  amongst 
whom  were  some  of  the  best,  and  wisest  persons  of  that 
age.  In  this,  however,  we  have  a  fair  specimen  of  the 
cruel,  and  blood-thirsty,  spirit,  of  the  old  mother  of  abomi- 
nations, as  exemplified  in  different  ages,  and  countries. 
And,  had  she  lived  long  to  exercise  her  horrid  domin- 
ion, no  one  can  possibly  tell  how  many  more  would  have 
been  added  to  the  number  of  those,  who  suffered  in  the 
flames,  by  her  furious,  mad,  and  ignorant  zeal. 

But  the  watchful  eye  of  Him  that  never  slumbers  or 
sleeps,  was  over  the  cause  of  reformation  for  good.  His 
ear  was  attentive  to  the  prayers  and  cry  of  the  blood  of  his 
children,  who  put  their  trust  in  him.  And  hence,  he  cut 
her  down  quickly  in  her  mad  career  ;  and  once  more  pre- 


102 


NOT    CATHOLIC    BISHOPS 


pared  the  way  for  a  new,  fresh,  and  more  permanent  devel- 
opment, of  that  reformation. 

Elizabeth,  although  she  was  Mary's  sister,  was  no  pa- 
pist. She  was  fully  in  favor  of  the  reformation  of  the 
Church.  And  she  was,  by  the  kind,  and  unseen  hand  of 
God,  preserved  as  an  instrument,  once  more  to  put  down 
Popery,  and  to  commence,  and  establish,  the  present 
Church  of  England, 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  true  Foundation  of  the  Church  of  England — No  true  claim  in  her, 
to  Catholic  connection  or  Apostolic  Succession. 

Elizabeth,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  VHI,  by  the 
unfortunate  Anne  Boleyn,  succeeded  Mary  in  the  throne 
of  England.  And,  it  is  in  her  reign  especially,  that  we 
are  to  look  for  the  foundation,  and  establishment,  of  the 
present  Church  of  England ;  inasmuch  as  Mary  had  suc- 
ceeded in  destroying  the  Reformation,  commenced  by 
Henry,  her  father,  and  so  well  advanced  by  her  brother  Ed- 
ward, who  succeeded  him.  Cranmer,  Latimer,  Ridley, 
and  Hooper,  with  other  eminent  Protestant  Divines,  had 
been  consumed  in  the  flames  ;  while  the  rest  of  their  wor- 
thy, and  active  colleagues  in  the  reformation,  had  sought 
for  safety  in  exile.  The  Sees  were  filled  with  Catholic 
Bishops;  at  the  head  of  whom  stood  the  old  bloody  Bonner; 
^nd  Popery,  with  all  its  hateful  abominations,  every  where 
prevailed,  and  had  once  more,  become  the  established  re- 
ligion of  the  Kingdom. 

When,  therefore  Elizabeth,  who  was  in  favor  of  the  refor- 
mation, came  to  the  throne,  it  was  necessary  to  expel  the 
Catholic  Bishops,  in  order  to  make  room  for  such  as  would 
favor  the  views,  and  wishes,  of  the  Queen.  And  that  this 
might  be  done.  Parliament  passed  an  Act,  to  repeal  all 
the  laws,  in  favor  of  Popery,  and  to  establish  the  Queen's 
supremacy.  And  by  this  Act,  was  restored  "  to  the  crown, 
the  ancient  jurisdiction  over  the  state,  ecclesiastical,  and 
spiritual;  and  foreign  power  was  abolished."  See  Neal's 
H.  P.  vol.  i.  pp.  126  &  7.  Elizabeth,  being  thus  constitu^ 
ted  Supreme  Head,  on  earth,  of  the  Church  of  England, and 
consequently,  having  in  her  own  hand,  all  ecclesiastical. 


104  TRUE  FOUNDATION  OF 

and  Civil  authority,  proceeded  to  expel  from  the  Sees,  the 
old  Catholic  Bishops.  Bloody  Bonner,  White,  and  Watson 
were  imprisoned ;  while  some  of  the  rest,  were  permitted 
to  go,  and  live  where  they  pleased."  See  Ibid,  vol,  i.  p. 
141.  She  also  selected  such  as  she  thought  fit,  to  fill  the 
vacant  Sees;  among  whom  we  find  Matthew  Parker,  her 
first  Archbishop  ;  Grindel,  who  became  Bishop  of  London  ; 
Horn,  who  became  Bishop  of  Winchester ;  and  Pilkerton, 
who  became  Bishop  of  Durham. 

As  these  were  Elizabeth's  first  Bishops,  the  whole  ques- 
tion depends  on  the  manner  of  their  consecration.  If 
they  had  Catholic  ordination,  then  Drs.  Chapman,  and 
Cooke,  have  that  kind  of  succession,  for  which  they  con- 
tend ;  or  in  other  words  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
has  all  that  ecclesiastical  authority,  that  the  Chuich  of 
Rome  can  confer. 

But  on  the  other  hand,  should  it  appear,  that  these  Bish- 
ops had  no  pretensions,  to  Catholic  orders,  and  did  not 
claim  Catholic  authority,  .by  virtue  of  their  consecration ; 
but  acted  independently  of  all  such  influence,  then  mani- 
festly, the  succession  is  lost ;  and  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  is  left  as  destitute,  of  the  pre-eminent  excellence 
which  is  claimed  for  her  by  Dr.  Chapman,  as  any  of  the 
rest  of  her  sister  churches. 

Barlow,  Scory,  Coverdole,  and  Hodgkins  appear  to  have 
been  the  consecrators  of  Matthew  Parker;  the  person  cho- 
sen by  Elizabeth  for  her  first  Archbishop,  who  was  to  com- 
mence in  her  reign,  the  establishment  of  the  church  of  Eng- 
land. In  order  ^  therefore  to  make  it  appear,  that,  the  Prot. 
Epis.  Church  has  a  claim  to  apostolic  succession  through 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  it  was  necessary  for  Dr. 
Chapman  to  show,  that  these  men  themselves,  had  been 
ordained  by  Catholic  Bishops.  But  at  this  he  does  not 
80  much  as  hint.     Nor  does  he,  or  Dr,  Cooke,  attempt  to 


CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  105 

show  who  were  the  consecrators  of  Parker — except  that 
they  were  men  who  had  been  in  exile — or,  on  what  kind  of 
authority  they  acted.  And  hence  we  are  left  to  conclude, 
either  that  they  knew  nothing  about  it ;  or  saw  that  it  was 
best  for  their  cause,  to  say  nothing  about  it.  They,  there- 
fore, seem  to  have  preferred  taking  for  granted,  the  very 
thing,  above  all  others,  that  they  should  have  proved. 

But,  that  the  consecrators  of'  Matthew  Parker,   had  no^ 
claim  to  Catholic  consecration,  wethink  is  evident, 

First;  Because,  in  the  days  of  Edward  VI,  Cranmer/ 
Barlow,  and  others,  appeared  to  believe,  as  they  publicly 
taught,  that  the  appointment  by  a  Prince  was  sufficient  to 
constitute  Bishops  or  Priests,  without  any  consecration 
whatever.  Hence,  ''  Cranmer,  in  answer  to  the  question  of 
holy  orders,  says:  'All  Christian  Princes  have  committed  unto 
them,  immediately  from  God,  the  whole  care  of  all  their 
subjects,  as  well  concerning  the  administration  of  God's 
Word,  for  the  cure  of  souls,  as  concerning  the  ministration 
of  things  political  and  civil.'  Barlow  agrees  with  him; 
both  affirming,  that  the  Apostles,  lacking  a  Christian  King 
among  them,  made  Bishops  by  that  necessity,  not  by  autho- 
rity given  by  God.  In  answer  to  the  tenth  question,  Cran- 
mer, Barlow,  and  Cox,  &c.,  say,  that,  at  the  beginning, 
Bishops  and  Priests  were  all  one.  To  the  eleventh  ques- 
tion  Cranmer  says,  '  Princes  and  Governors  may  make 
Priests,'  &c;  Barlow  and  Cox,  &c.  affirming,  that  laymen 
may  make  priests,  by  election.  To  the  twelfth  question, 
Cranmer  says,  in  the  New  Testament,  he  that  is  appomted 
to  be  a  Bishop,  or  a  Priest,  needeth  no  consecration  by  the 
Scriptures  ;  for  election  or  appointment  thereto,  is  sufficient. 
Barlow  says,  only  appointment,  with  imposition  of  hands, 
is  sufficient,  without  consecration."  See  Dr,  Burnet's  H, 
€ol  of  Rec,  record  21,  entitled,  The  Resolution  of  several 
14 


106  TRUE    FOUNDATION  OF 

Bishops  and  Divines,  of  some  questions  concerning  the 
Sacraments,  &c. 

Moreover,  it  is  affirmed  that  "  Barlow,  on  the  validity  of 
vj^hose  consecration,  that  of  Matthew  Parker,  and  of  all  suc- 
ceeding Anglican  Bishops  chiefly  rests,  preached  openly, 
that  the  King's  appointment,  without  any  orders  whatever, 
suffices  to  make  a  Bishop.  This  doctrine  seems  to  have 
been  broached  by  him,  to  meet  the  objection,  that  he  him- 
self, had  never  been  consecrated."  See  Collins*  Ecc.  H., 
vol.  2,  p.  135.  '•  In  fact,  the  record  of  such  a  transaction, 
has  been  hunted  for  in  vain,  during  these  two  hundred 
years."  See  the  end  of  Rel.  Con.,  p.  180.  "  It  is  said  King 
Henry  put  Barlow  into  a  bishoprick,  in  Wales  ;  yet  that  it 
cannot  be  found,  from  the  records  of  that  place,  or  any 
where  else  in  the  world,  that  ever  he  was  consecrated 
Bishop.  It  is  very  probable  the  King  promoted  him  a  Zu- 
inglan  Protestant,  for  the  ends  that  would  never  require 
him  to  be  consecrated  ;  the  Zuinglan  Protestants  in  general* 
and  Barlow  in  particular,  being  against  consecration."  See 
Dr.  Burnetts  H.  R.,  21.  Hence,  it  appears  that  Barlow,  &c. 
never  received  any  kind  of  consecration  whatever. 

Second.  We  find,  in  accordance  with  the  foregoing  doc- 
trine, *'  Lt  was  ordained  that  Bishops  should  be  made  by 
the  King's  letters  patent,  and  not  by  election  of  the  Dean 
and  Chapter.  That  all  these  processes  and  writings  should 
be  made  in  the  King's  name  only,  with  the  Bishops  test  ad- 
ded to  it,  and  sealed  with  no  other  seal  but  the  King's." 
See  Champ,  p.  199.  Again  it  is  said,  in  Heylm,  pp.  51^and 
52,  "  Of  this  act,  such  use  was  made,  that  the  Bishops  of 
these  times  were  not  in  a  capacity  of  conferring  orders,  but 
as  they  were  thereunto  empowered  by  special  license  ;  the 
license  whereof  was  in  these  words  following  :  *'The  King, 
to  such  a  Bishop,  greeting :  Whereas  all,  and  all  manner  of, 
jurisdiction,  as  well  ecclesiastical  as  civil,  flows  from  the 


CHURCH    OF    ENGLAND  107 

King,  as  from  the  Supreme  Head  of  all  the  body,  &c.,  we 
therefore  give  and  grant,  to  the  full  power  and  license,  to 
continue,  during  our  good  pleasure,  for  holding  ordination, 
within  the  diocese  of  N,  and  for  promoting  fit  persons  unto 
holy  orders,  even  to  that  of  piiesthood." 

Then  comes  the  new  form  of  ordination,  devised  by 
King  Edward  :  "  Take  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  remember  that 
thou  stir  up  the  grace  of  God  which  is  in  thee,  by  the  impo- 
sition of  hands.  For  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of 
fear,  but  of  power,  and  of  love  and  of  soundness,  ib. 
Again.  It  is  said  in  Neal's  H.  P.,  vol.  1,  p.  50,  "  The  Par- 
liament, that  met  in  Nov,  9,  1547,  passed  an  act  concerning 
the  admission  of  Bishops  into  their  sees,  which  set  forth, 
that  the  manner  of  choosing  Bishops  by  a  d'elire ;  being 
but  the  shadow  of  an  election,  all  Bishops  thereafter  shall 
be  appointed  by  the  King's  letters  patent  only,  and  shall 
continue  the  exercise  of  their  jurisdiction,  durante  bene 
placito." 

We  understand,  moreover,  from  the  same  author,  that 
*'  One  of  the  first  patents  with  this,  is  that  of  Dr.  Barlow, 
Bishop  of  Bath,  and  Wells,  bearing  date  Feb.  3,  in  the  sec- 
ond year  of  the  King's  reign,  (Edward,)  and  the  Parliament, 
that  met  Nov,  14,  1549,  passed  an  act,  that  such  forms  of 
ordaining  ministers  as  should  be  set  forth  by  the  advice  of 
six  Prelates  and  six  Divines,  to  be  named  by  the  King,  and 
authorized  under  the  great  seal,  should  be  used  after  April 
next,  and  no  other.  The  committee  soon  finished  their  or- 
dinal,  &c. ;  and  here  it  is  observable,  that  the  form  of  or- 
daining  a  Priest  and  a  Bishop,  is  the  same  ;  there  being  no 
express  mention  in  the  words  of  ordination,  whether  it  be 
for  the  one  or  other  office."     See  H.  P.,  pp.  63  and  64. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  remark  here,  that,  such  being  the 
circumstances  and  views,  under  which  the  consecrators  of 
Matthew  Parker  were  made  Bishops,  there  is  no  probability 


]|08  TRUE    FOUNDATION    OF 

whatever,  of  their  having  any  claim  to  Catholic  consecra- 
tion :  which  is  essentially  necessary  to  the  succession, 
claimed  by  Dr.  Chapman. 

Thirdly;  the  want  of  Catholic  consecration  in  the  con- 
secrators  of  Parker,  is  evident  from  the  circumstance,  that 
application  was  made  to  the  expelled  Catholic  Bishops  for 
.ordination;  and  that  too,  for  a  length  of  time,  without  suc- 
cess. Now,  this  certainly  would  not  have  been  the  case, 
if  any  among  the  reformers  of  that  day,  had  conceived 
themselves  possessed  of  that  kind  of  authority.  But  that 
they  had  not  this  kind  of  authority,  seethe  following  testi- 
morjy ;  "At  that  time,  when  there  was  a  question  of  conse- 
crating those  new  Bishops,  (i.  e.  Parker  &c.)  there  was  at 
prisoner  in  the  Tower  of  London,  an  Archbishop  of  Ireland. 
His  name  was  Richard  Creagh.  He  died  in  the  Tower; 
See  Weal's  Prel.  Cler.  p.  66,  and  was  offered  his" libeity, 
and  divers  other  rewards,  if  he  would  have  consecrated  the 
newly  elected  Bishops ;  which,  doubtless  argueth  the 
want  of  others,  that  even  by  themselves,  were  esteemed 
true  Bishops  For  if  such  had  been  at  hand,  they  would 
not  have  recurred  to  him,  with  danger  to  receive  a  dis- 
graceful denial,  as  they  did."  See  Champ,  in  vo.  of  Bish. 
p.  198.  The  same  fact  is  noticed  by  Mr.  Mason,  who  says, 
*'  There  was  a  certain  Irish  Bishop,  whom  they  had  in 
bonds,  arid  in  prison  in  London,  with  whom  they  dealt  very 
earnestly  ;  promising  him  both  liberty  and  reward,  if  so  be 
he  would  be  chief  in  the  consecratioii ,  (of  Parser)  but  he, 
good  man,  would  by  no  means  be  brought  to  lay  holy 
hands,  upon  heretics."     See  Mason's  Con.  of  Bish.  p.  124. 

Neal  confirms  the  foregoing  testimony,  in  his  Hist.  Par. 
vol.  i,  p.  142,  where  he  says,  "  The  See'^  were  left  vacant 
for  some  time,  to  see  if  any  of  the  old  Bishops  would  con- 
form ;  but  neither  time,  nor  any  thiAg  else,  could  move 
|hem.     At  length  after  twelve  months,  Dr.  Matthew   Par- 


CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  109 

• 
ker  was  -constituted  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  at  Lambeth; 
by  some  of  the  Bishops,  that  had  been  deprived  in  the  late 
reign  ;  for   not  one  of  the  present  Bishops  would  be  con. 
cerned." 

As  the  subject  under  consideration  can  only  be  made 
plain,  by  adducing  such  testimony  as  is  found  in  ancient 
authors,  who  have  noticed  the  subject,  we  shall  proceed  to 
show  by  this  means,  fourthly ,  that  Elizabeth's  first  Bish- 
ops had  no  claim  to  Catholic  consecration  ;  inasmuch  as 
she  was  laid  under  the  necessity,  of  issuing  her  letters  Pat- 
ent, to  give  authority,  to  have  them  consecrated,  after  a  de- 
lay of  twelve  months,  in  which  every  exertion  was  made  to 
induce  some  one  of  the  Catholic  Bishops,  to  perform  that 
service.  And,  that  there  were  difficulties  in  the  case,  with 
which  Elizabeth  felt  herself  exceedingly  pressed,  is  evident 
from  the  tenor  of  her  letter,  which  runs  thus  ;  "  Supplen- 
tes  nihilaminus  suprema  nostra  authoritate  regia.  Sup- 
plying, by  our  supreme  royal  authority  &c.  if  any  thing  be, 
or  shall  be  wanting  in  these  things,  which  you  are  to  do, 
by  our  command,  either  in  yourselves,  or  any  of  you,  or  in 
your  condition,  state  or  faculty ;  which,  by  the  statute  of 
this  our  Kingdom,  or  by  the  laws  of  the  Church  are  requir- 
ed, or  necessary  ;  the  time  and  necessity  of  affairs  exacting 
this."    vid.  Nullity  of,  &c., 

"And,  being  thus  clothed  with  royal  authority,  Barlow, 
and  Scory,  Bishops  elect  of  Chichester,  and  Hereford; 
Miles  Coverdale  the  deprived  Bishop  of  Exeter,  (he  was 
,made  Bishop  of  Exeter  in  Edward's  reign  1551.  See  Neal 
vol.  i.  p.  142)  and  Hodgkins  suffragan  of  Bedford,  proceed- 
ed to  consecrate  Di.  Matthew  Parker,  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury, December  ITth  1559.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed in  a  plain  manner,  without  gloves,  according  to  the 
form  of  King  Edward's  ordinal,  for  ordaining  Bishops. 
Soon  after  which  he   (Parker)  consecrated  several  of  his 


110  TRUE  FOUNDATION  OF 

brethren,  whom  the  Queen  had  appointed  to  the  vacant 
Sees;  as  Grindel  to  the  Bishopric  of  London,  Horn  to  Win- 
chester, and  Pilkerton  to  Durham  &c."  See  Neal,  vol.  i. 
pp.  142-3. 

Here  then,  we  have  the  commencement  of  the  Church  of 
England  ;  which  was  good  enough  in  itself,  and  much  bet- 
ter than  if  the  hands  of  Bloody  Bonner,  or  any  of  his  coad- 
jutors had  been  in  it ;  but  entirely  destitute  of  Catholic 
consecration. 

Not  only  do  the  circumstances,  under  which  Elizabeth^s 
first  Bishops  were  ordained — but  also  the  place  where  they 
were  consecrated — go  to  prove  their  want  of  Catholic  con- 
secration. We  give  the  account  of  this  strange  occur- 
rence, as  we  find  it  in  various  authors,  and  leave  the  rea- 
der to  judge  of  its  authenticity.  Dr.  Champney,  sets  down 
the  consecration  of  Parker,  &c.  thus;  "  At  the  Nag's  Head 
Inn,  Cheapside,  by  ^accorded  appointment,  met  all  those, 
that  were  nominated  to  Bishopricks.  Thither  came  also 
the  old  Bishop  of  LandafT  to  make  them  Bishops ;  which 
which  being  known  to  Dr.  Bonner,  Bishop  of  London,  then 
prisoner ;  he  sent  unto  the  Bishop  of  LandafF  forbidding, 
under  pain  of  excommunication,  to  exercise  any  such  pow- 
er within  his  diocese,  as  to  oidain  these  men.  Where- 
with the  old  Bishop  being  terrified,  and  besides  also  moved 
in  his  own  conscience,  refused  to  proceed  in  that  action, 
alleding  chiefly  for  reason  of  his  forbearance,  his  want  of 
sight.  Which  excuse  they,  interpreting  to  be  an  evasion, 
were  much  moved  against  the  poor  old  man.  And  where- 
as hitherto,  they  had  used  him  with  all  courtesy  and  re- 
spect, they  then  changed  their  copy ;  reviling  him,  and 
calling  him  doting  fool,  and  the  like  ;  some  of  them  say- 
ing, this  old  fool,  thinketh  we  cannot  be  Bishops,  unless 
we  be  greased  ;  to  the  disgrace  of  him,  as  well  as  of  the 
Catholic  manner  of  Episcopal   consecration.     Heing  not- 


CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  HI 

withstanding,  thus  deceived  in  their  expectation,  and  hav- 
ing no  other  means  to  come  to  their  desire,  they  resolved 
to  use  master  Scory's  help,  who,  having  borrowed  the  name 
of  Bishop  in  King  Edward's  time,  was  thought  to  have 
sufficient  power  to  perform  that,  especially  in  such  strait 
necessity.  He  having  cast  off,  together  with  his  religious 
habit,  all  scruple  of  conscience,  willingly  went  about  the 
matter,  which  he  performed  in  this  sort.  Having  the  Bi- 
ble in  his  hand,  they  all  kneeling  before  him,  he  laid  it 
upon  every  one  of  their  heads,  or  shoulders,  saying,  Take 
thou  authority  to  preach  the  Word  of  God  sincerely.  And  so 
they  rose  .up  Bishops."  See  Champ,  on  vo.  of  Bishops, 
pp.  194  and  5. 

Again.  We  learn,  upon  occasion  of  a  certain  Book, 
brought  into  Parliament  House  by  some  Presbyterian 
Lords,  proving  that  the  Protestant  Bishops,  had  no  succes- 
sion, nor  consecration  and,  therefore,  were  no  Bishops,  and 
consequently  had  no  right  to  sit  in  Parliament,  Dr.  Mor- 
ton Bishop  of  Durham,  made  a  speech  against  said  Book 
&c."  In  which  he  says,  "The  fii'st  Protestant  Bishops 
were  ordained  at  the  Nag's  Head  Inn  in  Cheapside  as  was 
notorious  to  all  the  world."  See  Nature  of  Cath.  Faith  and 
Heresy,  Rowan  1657  ch.  2.  p.  9 

Another  author  writes,  "It  is  now  a  century  of  years 
since  the  Nag's  Head  story  happened.  It  has  been  con- 
stantly related,  and  credited  by  wise  men,  as  a  certain 
truth,  even  since  the  year  1559.  It  was  never  contradict- 
ed by  any,  until  it  was  imagined  by  our  adversaries,  that 
their  new  register  (Mason's)  might  contest  with  our  an- 
cient tradition,  and  make  the  Nag's  Head  story  improbable 
in  the  1613,  of  which  no  man  doubted  for  the  space  of  52 
years  before."     See  Null  Pre.  Clergy,  pp.  75  and  6. 

Mr.  Constable  says,  in  his  relation,  •'  That  it  was  a 
thing  without  doubt;  because,  that  not  only  Mr.  Neal, 


112  TRUE  FOUNDATION  OF 

but  other  Catholics  were  eye-witnesses  of  Scwy's  ridicu- 
lous manner  of  consecrating  Parker,  and  the  rest,  in  the 
Nag's  Head  Tavern."     Ibid. 

Again.  Mr.  Mason,  an  avowed  friend  of  the  Reformation 
"  confesses,  that  Parker's  consecration,  was  so  singular, 
that  of  sixty  nine  Archbishops  before  him,  in  the  See  of 
Canterbury,  none  was  ever  consecrated  in  that  manner," 
p.  131.  Again  he  says  ;  "  of  Mr.  Sewel  being  a  Bishop,  we 
have  not  so  much  certainty ;  yea  we  have  no  certainty  at 
all.  For  who  I  pray  you  made  him?  Who  gave  him 
his  jurisdiction  ?  Who  imposed  hands  on  him  ?  What  or- 
ders had  they  ?  what  Bishops  were  they  ?  It  is  true  that 
both  he  and  Sands,  Scory,  Horn,  Grindel,  and  others,  in 
the  beginning  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign,  met  at  the  Horse 
Head  in  Cheapside,  and  disappointed  of  the  Catholic  Bish- 
op of  LandafF,  who  should  have  been  there  to  consecrate 
them  &c..  they  dealt  with  Scory  of  Hereford  to  do  so  ; 
who  when  they  were  all  on  the  knees,  caused  John  Jewel 
to  rise  up  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  and  him  that  was  Robert- 
Horn  before,  to  rise  up  Bishop  of  Winchester,  and  so  forth, 
with  all  the  rest."  See  Preface  to  a  Book  called  A  Discus- 
sion, num,  135,  by  Mr.   Mason. 

We  know  that  the  Nag's  Head  story  has  been  denied  by 
some,  who  try  to  claim  Apostolic  Succession,  through  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  But  what  shall  w^e  do  with  so 
many  reputable  witnesses,  who  testify  to  the  same  thing  ? 
It  might  be  said  that  the  Catholics  were  prejudiced,  and, 
therefore,  would  do  all  in  their  power  to  invalidate  tha  min- 
istry of  the  Reformation.  But  the  question  is,  How  did  they 
happen  to  get  up,  or  what  could  have  given  rise  to,  such  a 
statement?  And  is  it  not  likely,  that  there  was  something 
which  was  the  foundation  of  it  ?  or  is  it  likely  that  so  many 
of  them,  at  such  an  early  day  after  the  commencement  of 
the  Reformation,  when  they  might  have  been  so  easily  de- 


CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  [13 

tected  and  refuted,  would  agree  to  publish  such  falsehood 
to  the  world,  if  it  be  a  falsehood  ? 

But  suppose  we  could,  in  some  plausible  way,  dispose  of 
the  testimony  of  these  Catholics  ?  what  shall  we  do  with 
Dr.  Morton  and  Mr.  Mason  ?  who  were  said  to  be  the  fast 
friends  of  the  Reformation,  and  yet  bear  decided  testimony  tc 
the  same  thing,     They  certainly  cannot  be  so  easily  dispo- 
sed of,  or  set  aside.     And,  as  strange  as  it  may  appear  to" 
us  at  this  day,  who  know  not  why  they  went  to  a  tavern,  in- 
stead of  to  a  Church — ^^which  was,  of  course,  the  most  suit- 
able place  for   such  a   transaction — it  is  possible  that  the 
whole  story  is  true.     It  is   possible  that  the  arrangement 
was  made  for  the  consecration  to  be  performed  at  that  place, 
for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  exposure  of  the  old  Cath- 
olic Bishop,  who  was  expected  to  act,  on  that  occasion.  But, 
when  they  were  once   gathered  together,  and  found  them- 
selves disappointed,  they  proceeded,  without  farther  delay, 
to  ordain  in  their  own  way  ;  and  thus  to  make  the  best  of 
the  circumstances  under  which  they  were  placed.     Does  it 
not  appear,  that  Elizabeth   had  determined,  that,  at  that 
meeting,  the  Church  should  be  organized  ?  no  matter  what 
might  be  the  circumstances  of  the  case.     For  she  made  pro- 
vision, in  her  letter  patent,  for  all  disabilities  that  might  ba 
found,  in  such  as  might  have  to  consecrate  Matthew  Parker. 
Some  urgent  necessity  seems  to  have  been  the  cause  of  her 
letter ;  and  we  think  it  may  be  readily  believed,  that  it  was' 
a  want  of  that  authority,  which,  in  her  estimation,  was  es- 
sentially necessary  in  the  men  who  ordained  her  first  Bishop.- 
she  therefore,  attempted  to  supply  that  authority  by  her  letter 
patent. 

In  a  Book,  written  by  Mr.  Mason,  we  find,  what  is  calledy 
Parker's  Register  at  Lambeth ;  in  which  he  tries  to  prove 
the  validity  of  Parker's  consecration.     But  it  must  be  re- 
membered, that  neither  this    Book  nor  the   Register  wa§^ 
15 


114  TRUE    FOUNDATION   OF 

beard  of  for  62   years.     It  was  not  published,  till  in  the- 
reign  of  King  James  1613;  and  then  we  understand,   "it 
was  immediately  detected  as  a  forgery  in  publie  print,  by  F. 
Thomas  Fitzhubert".   See  Ward's  Can.  who  refers  us  to  an 
adjoinder,    to   the  supplement   of  Robert  Parson's,  print- 
ed 1613.     He  remarks,  "  This  adjoinder  being   printed,   it 
was  my  chance  to  understand  that  one  Mr.  Mason,  hath 
lately  published  a  Book  wherein  he  pretends  to  answer  the 
Preface  to  F.  Parson's  Discussion,  especially,   concerning 
one  point   treated  therein,  to  wit;  the  consecration  of  the 
first  Protestant  Bishops,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth ; 
and  farther  he  endeavours  to  prove  their  consecration,  by 
a  Register  testifying,  that,    four  Bishops  consecrated  Mr. 
Parker.     Understand,  good   reader,    that  this  one  excep- 
tion, touching  the  lawful  vocation,  and  consecration  of  the 
first  Protestant  Bishops,  in  the  late  Queen's  day,    is  not  a 
new  quarrel,   lately  raised,  but  vehemently  urged,  divert 
times  heretofore,  by    Catholics,  many  years  ago.     Yea  in^ 
the  very  beginning  of  the  Queen's  reign,  as  namely  by  the 
learned  Doctors  Harding,  and  Stapleton,  against  Mr.  Jew- 
ell, and  Mr.  Horn,  whom  they  prest  mightily  with  the  de- 
fect of  their  due   order  and  consecration;  urging  them  to 
prove  the  same  ;  and  to  show,  how  and  by  whom  they  were 
made  Bishops." 

"  And  what  trow  ye,  was  answered  thereto  ?  Were 
there  any  Bishops  named  who  had  consecrated  them? 
Were  there  any  witnesses  alleged  of  their  consecration? 
Was  Mr.  Mason's  Register,  or  any  other  authentic  proof 
produced,  either  by  Jewell  or  Horn  ?  No  truly  !  for  as  for 
Mr.  Horn,  he  never  replied ;  and  Mr.  Jewell,  though  he 
took  upon  him  to  answer  it,  yet  did  it  so  weakly,  coldly, 
and  ambiguously,  that  he  sufficiently  fortified,  and  justified 
his  adversaries'  objections.  " 

Again.   Of  Scory,  and  Coverdale,  Dr.  Champney  writes 


CHURCH    OF    ENGLAND  115 

thus.  "They  were  not  true  Bishops,  as  is  evidently  prov. 
ed  out  of  their  own  records  and  testimonies.  For  Mason 
saith  they  were  consecrated  on  the  30  of  August  1650;  to 
wit,  five  months  before  the  new  form  of  consecration  was 
set  forth,  or  allowed.  For  the  Parliament  of  the  5th  and 
6th  of  Edward  VI,  which  authorized  and  set  forth  this  new 
form,  did  not  begin  till  the  13th  of  Jany.  1651,  that  is,  five 
months  after  the  pretended  consecrations  of  Coverdale 
and  Scory.  It  is  evident  therefore,  that  they  could  not  be 
consecrated,  by  the  new  form,  which  was  not  then  in  be- 
ing. Nor  could  they  be  consecrated  by  the  ancient  Cathol- 
ic ordinal,  or  form  ;  for  that,  as  Mr.  Mason  confesses,  was 
abrogated  in  the  Parliament  of  the  3d  and  4th  of  Edward 
VI,  as  appears  by  the  12th  statute  of  that  Parliament.  So 
that  it  is  clear,  that  these  two  consecrators  themselves, 
were  never  consecrated  at  all :  neither  by  one  form,  or  the 
other."     See  Champ,  p.  199. 

Again  he  says  ;  "  It  is  to  be  observed  that  Mr.  Mason's 
Registers,  disagree  with  those  that  Mr.  Goodwin  used,  in 
his  Catalogue  of  Bishops;  some  in  the  day,  sometimes  in 
the  month,  and  sometimes  in  the  year ;  as  is  manifest  in 
the  consecrations  of  Poynet,  Ridley,  Coverdale,  Grindel, 
Horn,  Guest,  and  Piers,  which  necessarily  proveth  falsity  in 
the  one,  with  suspicion  of  forgery  in  both.  Again,  Mason, 
SutclifF  and  Butler,  do  all  differ  one  from  another  in  nam- 
ing Parker's  consecration.  For  Mr.  Mason  says,  it  was 
done  by  Barlow,  Scory,  Coverdale  and  Hodgkins.  Sutcliff 
says,  besides  the  three  first,  there  were  three  suffragans. 
Butler  says,  the  suffragan  of  Dover  was  one  of  the  consecra- 
tors, who  notwithstanding,  is  not  so  much  as  named  in  the 
Queen's  letters  patent  for  commissioning  them  to  conse- 
crate Parker."     pp.  187  and  8. 

Dr.  Hardin  says,  Fol,  57  and  58.  "Five  or  six  years 
after  Parker  had  got  thrust  into  the  See   of  Canterbury," 


116  TRUE    FOUNDATION    OF 

&c.  After  having  disproved  Jewell's  succession,  he  de- 
mands  how  he  came  to  be  Bishop  thus.  Therefore,  to  go 
from  your  succession,  which  you  cannot  prove,  and  to 
come  to  your  vocation.  How  say  you,  sir,  you  bear  your^ 
self,  as  though  you  were  Bishop  of  Salisbury.  But  how 
can  you  prove  your  vocation  ?  By  what  authority  usurp 
you  the  administration  of  doctrines  and  sacraments  ? 
What  can  you  allege  for  the  right  and  proof  of  your  minis- 
try ?  Who  hath  laid  hands  on  you  ?  By  what  example 
hath  he  done  it  ?  How  and  by  whom  are  you  consecrated? 
Who  hath  sent  you  ?  But  you  are  made,  you  say,  by  the 
consecration  of  the  Archbishop  (Parker)  and  other  three 
Bishops.  And  how  I  pray  you  was  your  Archbishop  him- 
self consecrated  ?  What  three  Bishops  in  the  realm  were 
to  lay  hands  upon  him  ?  your  Metropolitan,  who  should 
give  authority  to  all  your  consecrations,  had  himself  no 
lawful  consecration." 

"  In  like  manner,  Dr.  Stapleton  urges  Horn  to  this  pur- 
pose," "  To  say  truth,  you  are  no  Lord  of  Winchester — 
^•c,  but  only  Mr.  Robt.  Horn.  Is  it  not  notorious  that^ou 
and  your  colleagues,  were  not  ordained  according  to  the 
Prescript,  I  will  not  say  of  the  church,  but  even  of  the  very 
statutes?  How  then  can  you  challenge  to  yourself  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Winchester  ?"  Again  he  says, 
you  are  without  any  consecration  at  all  of  your  Metropoli- 
tan, (Parker;)  himself,  poor  man  being  no  Bishop  neither." 
See  Counterblast  Fol.  301.  And  again  he  says;  "You 
have  taken  upon  you  the  office  of  Bishop  without  any  impo- 
sition of  hands,  without  all  ecclesiastical  authority,  without 
all  order  of  Canon  or  right.  I  ask  not  who  gave  you  Bish- 
opricks,  but  who  made  you  Bishop  ?  See  Return  of  Untruth 
Fol.  130.  and  Stapleton's  Challenge  &c.  (Note  Dr.  Har- 
den's  Confutation  of  Jewell's  Apology,  was  printed  in  the 


CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  117 

year  1565,  and  Dr.  Stapleton's  Return  of  Untruth,  in  the 
year  following.] 

Moreover  Dr.  Bristow  says  ;  "Consider  what  Church  that 
is  where  ministers  are  but  Laymen,  unsent,  uncalled,  un- 
consecrated ;  holding  therefore  among  us, when  they  repent, 
and  return,  no  other  place  but  of  Laymen  ;  in  no  case  ad- 
mitted, nor  looking  to  minister  in  any  office,  unless  they 
take  orders,  which  before  they  had  not."  See  Dr.  Bristow's 
Motive  3L 

Mr.  Reynolds  says,  ''there  is  no  herdsman  in  all  Turkey, 
who  hath  not  undertaken  the  government  of  his  herd  upon 
better  reasons  and  greater  right,  order  and  authority  than 
these  your  magnificent  Apostles,  and  Evangelists  can  show, 
for  this  divine  and  high  office  of  governing  souls,  reform^ 
ing  churches,"  &c.  Vid.  Cavin's  Furies,  Lib.  iv.  Chap.  15. 

Now  to  suppose  that  Matthew  Parker  and  his  coadjutors 
had  received  due  Catholic  consecration  ;  or  that  the  men 
who  ordained  them  to  commence  the  Reformation  in  Eliz- 
abeth's reign,  had  themselves  received  consecration  accord- 
ing to  Catholic  usages — which  facts,  had  they  occurred, 
must  have  been  notorious  to  all  men — and,  that  the  Cath- 
olics at  the  same  time,  could  have  openly,  boldly,  and 
contantly,  charged  them  with  the  want  of  it ;  and  in  this 
way  harrass  the  church,  for  ages,  with  perfect  impunity  ; 
to  think  that,  for  so  many  years  ,  there  was  was  not  a  man 
to  rise  up,  answer,  and  put  them  to  silence,  is  indeed 
strange  and  unaccountabte.  The  wonder  would  have  been 
greater,  if  there  could  have  been  found  any,  in  that  day, 
who  did  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  Uninterrupted  Apostolic 
Succession,  as  coming  through  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 

And  would  it  not  be  still  more  surprising  that  the  Pro- 
testants after  having  received  Catholic  ordination — that  kind 
of  ordination  that  is  thought  to  be  so  essential  to  the  exis^ 


118  TRUE  FOUNDATION  OF 

tence  of  a  Christian  Church  and  ministry,  and  consequent- 
ly, to  give  validity  to  the  due  administrations  of  the  holy 
ordinances — should  not  only  refrain  from  a  proper  refuta- 
tion of  the  disgraceful  charges  heaped  upon  them  continual- 
ly, by  their  enemies  ;  but  plainly  and  constantly  treat  with 
contempt,  the  idea  of  the  necessity,  of  Catholic  orders, 
and  authority,  to  the  existence  of  the  Church  ;  and  even 
to  go  so  far  as  to  acknov^rledge,  that  they  neither  had  it,  nor 
wished  to  hare  it  ? 

Who  can  believe,  for  a  moment,  that  any  thing  of  this 
kind  evei  existed  in  the  days  of  the  Reformers  ?  Who  can 
believe  that  men,  who  had  the  wisdom  and  courage  to  come 
out  boldly,  against  the  corruptions  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  to  stand  forth  openly,  on  the  Lord's  side,  and 
thereby  stand  in  jeopardy  every  hour,  for  the  great  Redeem- 
er's sake,  could  be  guilty  of  such  strange  inconsistency  and 
falsehood  ? 

It  must,  therefore, be  evident,  that  the  conduct  of  the 
Catholics  on  the  one  side,  and  the  conduct  of  the  Re- 
formers on  the  other,  very  conclusively  prove,  that  the 
Protestant  Church,  as  established  in  the  reign  of  Eliza- 
beth, was  entirely  destitute  of  Catholic  consecration. 

But  supposing  that  this  conclusion  was  not  well  found- 
ed, and  the  Church  of  England  had  due  claim  to  Catholic 
orders  ;  is  it  not  strange,  that  no  authentic  record  has  ever 
been  found  of  it  ?  Is  it  not  surprising. that  no  ecclesiasti- 
cal writer  can  be  found,  who  has  undertaken  to  show,  that 
at  least  some  one  of  Matthew  Parker's  consecrators  had 
been  ordained  by  a  Catholic  Bishop  ?  since  this  is  essen- 
tial to  the  validity  of  the  claim  set  up,  in  these  modern 
times,  to  Apostolic  Succession,  through  the  Roman  Church, 

Nor  is  it  less  surprising,  that  the  authors  of  modern  days, 
who  possess  the  greatest  confidence  in  the  necessity  of 
Apostolic  Succession,  have   not  been  able  to  bring  forth, 


CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  119 

one  single  sentence,  from  any  source  whatever,  to  show 
that,  Catholic  consecration  was  received,  either  by  Mat- 
thew Parker,  or  any  one  of  Elizabeth's  first  Bishops. 

Dr.  Chapman  goes  up  to  the  days  of  Henry  and  Cran- 
mer,  for  a  union  of  the  Church  of  England  with  the  Catho- 
lic Church  ;  but  does  not  attempt  to  prove  that  Cranmer,  or 
any  of  the  Bishops  of  that  day,  had  Catholic  orders.  And 
Dr.  Cooke,  who  wrote  immediately  afterwards,  while  he 
stops  at  Elizabeth  and  Paiker,  for  the  commencement  of 
the  first  Church  of  England,  does  not  attempt  to  prove,  or 
in  any  wise  to  set  forth,  a  claim  of  Roman  Catholic  conse- 
cration, for  the  consecrators  of  Parker,  or  any  of  his  coad- 
jutors. This  is,  indeed,  strange,  since  these  men  not  only 
claim  Apostolic  Succession  through  the  Catholic  Church, 
but  held  it  as  essential  to  the  very  existence  of  the  Church 
of  Christ.  Is  it  not  fair  and  rational,  to  suppose,  that,  un- 
der such  circumstances,  they  would  have  placed  their  strong 
historical  proofs  before  the  world,  in  bold  relief,  if  they  had 
possessed  them  ?  Would  they  have  kept  back  the  very 
thing,  which,  above  all  others,,  was  necessary  to  establish 
their  claim  to  Apostolic  Succession,  when  they  were  en- 
deavoring to  prove  to  the  world,  that  there  could  be  no  true 
Church  or  valid  Ministry  without  it  ?  The  truth  would  ap- 
pear to  be,  that,  w^hen  they  searched  into  the  record  of  the 
times  of  the  Reformation,  they  did  not  find  what  was  ne- 
cessary for  their  purpose.  And,  hence  they  had  to  take  for 
granted,  the  thing  to  be  proved  ;  and  make  the  best  of  their 
want  of  testimony,  by  strong  and  bold  assertion. 

Dr.  Chapman  roundly  asserted,  that  Cranmer  and  Lati- 
mer were  Catholic  Bishops.  But  he  does  not  attempt  to 
give  any  proof  whatever,  in  support  of  his  assertion.  Why  ? 
Doubtless,  for  the  best  of  reasons  :  because  he  had  none  to 
give.  Nor  can  he,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  have  any ; 
inasmuch  as  the  truth  is,  they  never  were  Catholic  Bishops, 


120  TRUE  FOUNDATION  OF 

And,  from  the  time  they  became  Bishops,  they  treated,  with 
th'e  most  perfect  contempt,  all  Papal  usages  and  authority ; 
as  their  history  plainly  shows.  Hence  the  attempt  of  th© 
Doctor  in  this  way  to  claim  for  the  Church  of  England, 
Catholic  consecration,  has  entirely  failed. 

As  we  cannot  doubt  that  this  was  discovered  by  Dr. 
Cooke,  he  prudently  and  properly,  in  his  Essay  on  Apostolie 
Succession,  went  no  farther,  for  the  commencement  of  the 
present  Established  Church  of  England,  than  to  the  days  of 
Matthew  Parker,  who  was  the  first  Arch-Bishop  during 
Elizabeth's  reign.  And,  in  examining  into  the  history  of 
the  Church,  in  that  day,  he  had  to  acknowledge,  that  the  va- 
lidity of  Parker's  ordination  had  been  disputed,  seeing  it 
was  performed  by  Ministers  who  had  been  driven  into  exile 
by  the  Roman  Catholics,  when  in  power  under  bloody 
Queen  Mary's  reign. 

This  acknowledgmeut  of  Dr.  Cooke,  who  professed  he 
wrote  to  sustain  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  Succession,^  goes 
very  far  to  establish  the  fact,  that,  Matthew  Parker — when 
he  was  constituted  Archbishop  of  Canterbury — did  not  re- 
ceive Catholic  orders  ,  which  v(ras  essential  to  the  line  of 
succession  contended  for.  It  acknowledges  that  he  was 
not  consecrated  by  any  of  the  expelled  Catholic  Bishops; 
but  by  the  Protestant  Bishops  who  had  returned  from  their 
state  of  exile  ;  and  that  at  the  beginning,  their  authority  to 
ordain  Parker  was  disputed. 

This  acknowledgment  also,  made  it  evidently  necessary 
for  the  Doctor  to  show,  that,  the  consecrators  of  Matthew 
Parker  had  been  and  still  were,  in  the  true  line  of  Aposto- 
lic Succession  and  Catholic  consecration.  But  this,  so  es^ 
sential  to  the  cause  in  hand,  was  not  so  much  as  men- 
tioned. And  why  did  he  pass  this  all-important  part  of 
the  subject  in  perfect  silence  ?  Was  it  because  its  im- 
portance, as  the  very  soul  of  the  whole   matter,  did  not 


CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  121 

clearly  appear  ?  Such  a  supposition  is  inconsistent  with 
his  penetration  and  known  logical  powers.  He  could  not 
fail  to  see  its  importance.  Few  men,  in  this  country,  pos- 
sess better  powers  of  mind  than  Professor  Cooke.  Strong 
reasons  or  matters  of  fact  alone,  can  generally  govern  him, 
in  the  formation  of  his  opinions.  And  hence  it  is,  indeed, 
strange,  that,  on  the  subject  of  uninterrupted  Apostolic 
Succession,  as  handed  down  to,  and  claimed  by,  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church — the  Church  of  his  recent  adop- 
tion, and  for  whose  sake  he  was  specially  writing — he  passes 
hy  in  perfect  silence  the  very  gist  of  the  whole  argument ; 
the  very  thing  which,  if  plainly  made  out,  would  have  given 
his  Church,  at  least,  a  valid  claim  to  Catholic  consecration, 
and,  through  that  medium,  to  Apostolic  Succession  ;  could 
any  such  thing  be  found  to  exist  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 

But,  instead  of  paying  due  attention  to  the  qualifications  o^ 
the  consecrators  of  Matthew  Parker,  Dr.  Cooke  gravely  takes 
up  their  expulsion  and  exile;  which  he  sets  forth  as  the  ground 
on  which  the  validity  of  his  consecration  had  been  questioned, 
Parker's  consecration  had  been  questioned.  The  Catholics 
insisted  that  it  was  not  canonical,  nor  even  legal.  In  their 
estimation,  it  not  only  wanted  Catholic  authority,  but  also 
the  legal  establishment  of  Edward's  ordinal ;  by  which  it 
was  said  he  was  consecrated.  But,  instead  of  noticing,  and 
endeavoring  satisfactorily  to  answer,  this  grave  and  well- 
known  charge — which  alone  could  settle  the  dispute  in 
hand — he  takes  up  a  new  and  unheard  of  thought ;  a  thought 
which,  in  all  probability,  had  never  entered  into  the  mind  of 
any,  even  of  the  most  sagacious,  of  the  enemies  of  the  Re- 
formation. And  that  was  the  effect  of  the  exile  already  re- 
ferred  to,  in  destroying  ministerial  authority,  and  thus  dis 
qualifying  the  men  who  ordained  Matthew  Parker,  for  that 
all-important  work.  If  this  had  been  suggested  by  any 
one,  it  must  have  been  under  the  influence  of  that  envy  and 
16 


122  TRUE    FOUNDATION  OF 

duplicity,  that  would  always  make  the  worst,  even  of  a  good 
cause.  For  who,  in  his  sober  senses,  could  suppose  that 
mere  exile,  by  a  violent  and  successful  party,  could  destroy 
the  ministerial  character  and  authority  of  any  minister  of 
Christ  ? 

After  stating  this,  however,  as  the  ground  of  doubt  con- 
cerning the  validity  of  Parker's  consecration,  the  Doctor 
labours  hard,  and  proves  most  conclusively  from  the  na- 
ture and  fitness  of  things,  as  well  as  the  usages  of  the 
Church,  that  the  objection  itself  was  invalid ;  and  con- 
sequently, could  have  no  weight  whatever.  But  this,  we 
think  could  have  been  done  by  a  mind  of  much  less  capac- 
ity, than  that  of  the  learned  Doctor.  For  the  truth  of  the 
case  is,  if  there  had  been  nothing  in  the  way  of  the  conse- 
crators  of  Elizabeth's  first  Bishops,  but  the  circumstance 
of  their  being  driven  from  their  homes,  into  exile  in  a  dis- 
tant land,  by  the  bloody  persecutors  of  the  Reformation  ; 
and  if  it  could  have  been  proved  that  they  had  received 
Catholic  consecration,  then,  even  the  Catholics  themselves, 
could  not  have  disputed  the  validity  of  Parker's  consecra- 
tion. His  true  claim,  therefore,  to  Apostolic  succession, 
would  have  been  established  ;  so  far  as  the  Church  of 
Rome  could  confer  it. 

But  from  the  whole  history  of  the  case,  we  see  that  this 
was  not  the  ground  taken  by  the  enemies  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. The  question  with  them  was  not  the  mere  matter 
of  exile;  but  Whethei  the  consecrators  of  the  first  Bishops, 
under  Elizabeth's  reign,  had  ever  been  duly  consecrated  ? 
.or  in  other  words,  and  to  express  their  meaning  plainly; 
Whether  they  had  ever  been  ordained  by  Catholic  Bishops? 
or.  Whether  some  of  them  had  ever  been  ordained  at  all? 
The  Catholics  contended  that  they  had  not ;  ^nd,  therefore, 
that  they  had  no  right  to  ordain  others  ;  and  that  all  their 
Mtempts  to  do  so,  were  invalid,  and  conferred  no  true 
^n^inisterial  authority. 


CHURCH    OF    ENGLAND  123 

To  support  this,  they  challenge  the  reformers  to  show,  when, 
wheie,  or  by  whom,  these  men  were  consecrated.  They 
charge  thenropenly  and  boldly,  with  the  want  of  Catholic 
ciders  ;  and  refer  them  to  the  only  ground  of  authority  that 
they  had,  in  their  estimation,  for  rejecting  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church;  and  for  ordaining  Matthew  Parker  and  his 
coadjutors,  and  thus  establishing  the  present  Church  of 
England.  And  that  was  the  Queens'  Letter  Patent;  by 
which  provision  is  made  for  all  disability  that  might  be 
found  in  the  consecrators  of  her  first  Bishop. 

From  the  answer  returned  by  the  wisest  and  best  of  the 
reformers,  to  these  .  grave  charges,  made  against  them,  by 
their  bitterest  enemies,  and  especially,  taking  into  view 
the  whole  ground  of  the  controversy  ;  the  conclusion  must 
be  drawn  by  every  reflecting,  and  unprejudiced  mind,  that, 
let  it  amount  to  what  it  may,  the  Church  of  England  has  no 
claim  to  Catholic  consecration  ;  and  consequently,  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church  can  have  none. 

For  that  church,  having  received  her  consecration  from 
the  Church  of  England,  can  only  claim  Catholic  authority 
through  her ;  and,  when  it  is  evident,  from  the  controversy 
that  obtained  in  the  commencement  of  the  Reformation.the 
bitter  reflections  cast  upon  the  reformers,  for  the  evident 
want  of  Catholic  orders,  and  the  answers  made  by  them  to 
these  reflections,  showing,  conclusively,  their  disregard  and 
contempt  of  Catholic  consecration,  she  did  not  so  much 
as  pretend  to  have  it.  It  follows,  consequently,  that  she 
^could  not  impart  it. 

But  if  she  could  have  boasted  of  Catholic  consecration, 
she  would  have  been  as  destitute  as  she  now  is, of  the  much 
extolled  Apostolic  succession  ;  for  the  Catholic  Church  has 
no  proper  claim  to  any  such  thing.  She  differs  in  her  own 
calender ;  and  is  as  dark,  and  ignorant,  of  the  line  of  suc- 
cession,as  any  other  branch  of  the  Church.'  And  no  wondei;- 


124  TRUE    FOUNDATION    OF 

when  the  succession  contended  for,  has  been  lost  even  frorfl 
the  very  beginning ,  and  never  can  be  made  out  by  any 
man  living.  This  we  shall  more  fully  show  in  a  succeed- 
ing chapter. 

But  suppose  the  succession  could  be  made  out ;  and  that 
the  line  stood  fair,  and  undeniable,  as  some  would  have  lis 
to  think;  What  is  it  at  last,  more  than  an  outward  form, 
having  more  of  human,  than  divine  authority  ?  Of  what 
weight,  in  the  estimation  of  thinking  men,  can  the  imposi- 
tion of  hands,  from  bishop  to  bishop,  possess,  when  it  has 
been  so  much  abused  ?  Wiien  it  has  raised  to  the  highest 
dignity,  and  authority,  in  the  church,  so  many  wicked,  and 
vile  characters  that  were  nothing  more  than  wolves  in 
sheep's  clothing?  calculated  not  only  to  fleece,  but  to  tor- 
ment and  dostroy  the  flock. 

Can  any  one  possibly  suppose,  that  the  great  shepherd 
of  souls,  the  wise  and  holy  and  mighty  Redeemer  of  men, 
ever  intended  to  place  the  existence  and  perpetuity  of  his 
church,  on  such  a  doubtful  foundation  as  this?  A  foun- 
dation so  uncertain  in  itself,  so  easily  abused,  and  over- 
turned, by  the  frailty  and  corruption  of  designing  men. 

How  absurd  is  the  thought,  that  the  Saviour  and  friend 
of  sinners,  after  doing  and  suffering  so  much,  to  redeem 
men,  and  to  establish  his  church  upon  earth,  should  leave 
it  wholy  in  the  hands  of  poor  fallible  men ;  and  take  no 
more  control,  or  exercise  no  more  authority  over  it,  until 
he  shall  come  in  the  last  day,  to  render  to  every  man  ac- 
cording as  his  work  shall  be.  He  knew  what  was  in  man  ; 
he  had  frequently  to  chide,  and  sometimes,  even  rebuke, 
his  apostles;  and  he  foretold  the  coming  of  false  teachers, 
that  would  as  far  as  possible,  destroy  the  church  of  God, 
purchased  with  his  own  blood.  Could  he,  having  all  pow- 
er as  he  had  in  his  own  hands,  and  having  loved  us,  and 
given  himself  for  us,  leave  his  sheep  in  the  wilderness,  to 


CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  125 

be  destroyed  at  the  pleasure  of  ravenous  wolves?  or  which 
would  be  the  same  thing,  leave  his  church  to  depend  on 
the  will  and  caprice  of  fallible  men  for  her  existence? 
Surely  the  very  thought  is  preposterous  in  the  extreme. 

The  mere  circumstance  of  laying  on  of  hands,  never  was 
intended  by  the  holy  Redeemer,  as  an  essential  qualifica- 
tion to  the  ministerial  character.  We  never  read  in  the 
scriptures  of  his  ordaining  at  any  time,  in  that  way.  But 
we  do  read  of  Paul,  and  others,  who  went  immediately  in- 
to the  work  of  the  ministry,  without  any  such  thing  ;  al. 
though  Timothy  and  others,  were  set  apart  by  the  imposi- 
tion of  hands.  Hence  all  other  things  being  right,  so  far  as 
the  scripture  is  concerned,  or  any  direction  given  by  Christ 
himself,  men  might  as  well,  be  set  apart  for  the  ministry  in 
some  other  way;  and  be  as  truly  the  ministers  of  Christ 
as  though  they  had  laid  on  them  the  hands  of  the  most  holy 
Bishop,  that  ever  graced  the  holy  office. 

How  absurd  then  is  it  to  make  so  much  of  what  is  call' 
ed  the  succession,  as  to  say  there  can  be  no  true  ministry, 
or  true  church  of  Christ,  without  it ;  thereby  unchurching 
nearly,  if  not  all,  the  Protestant  world,  seeing  they  can  lay 
no  rational  or  certain  claim,  to  any  such  thing.  More  es- 
pecially too,  since  it  goes  to  unchurch  the  whole  church, 
Catholic  and  all;  inasmuch,  as  if  there  be  any  such  thing 
as  uninterrupted  Apostolic  succession  in  the  world,  no  one 
can  tell  where  it  is  to  be  found,  or  who,  or  what  set  of  min- 
isters are  in  it,  in  the  present  day.  Thus  one  branch  of 
the  church  cannot  claim  it  more  than  another. 
To  sum  up  the  whole.  1st.  It  maybe  said  in  truth, that  the 
mere  ceremony  of  the  imposition  of  hands,  from  bishop  to 
bishop,  has  not,  neither  can  have,  any  serious  importance 
attached  to  it,  as  conferring  divine  authority  to  minister  in 
holy  things. 

2nd.     If  there  could  be,  even  then  the  Roman  Catholic 


126  TRUE  FOUNDATION  OF 

Church,  has  no  claim  to  regular  succession  ;  seeing  it  has 
been  broken  in  various  ways,  and  at  different  times,  and 
utterly  lost  for  several  hundred  years, 

3rd.  That  if  she  had,  yet  the  Church  of  England  has  it 
not;  inasmuch  as  she  has  no  pioper  claim  even  to  Catholic 
consecration;  which  in  her  estimation,  in  these  latter  days 
is  essential  to  her  being  in  the  succession. 

4th.  And  hence  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  can- 
not be  in  the  succession  ;  inasmuch  as  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, from  whom  she  derives  her  ecclesiastical  authority,  is 
not ;  and  therefore,  could  not  impart  what  she  did  not  pos- 
sess. 


REPROACHES,  &C  127 


CHAPTER    X 

The  reproaches  of  Catholics  cast  upon  Reformers,  &c. 

Would  it  not  have  been  strange  indeed,  in  the  Catholics, 
to  press  with  so  much  confidence  and  zeal,  the  want  of 
Catholic  consecration — which  they  esteem  essential  to  the 
discharge  of  ministerial  functions — on  the  reformers  in  the 
days  of  Elizabeth,  when  the  matter  could  have  been  set- 
tled so  easily;  if  they  had  not,  in  truth,  sufficient  ground  for 
so  doing  ?  And  is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  re- 
formers, thus  continually  harrassed  on  this  subject,  would 
have  immediately  taken  steps  so  to  settle  the  whole  ques- 
tion, that  it  should  rest  in  quietude  forever;  if  in  truth  they 
could  have  done  so? 

But  instead  of  doing  this — although  it  was  so  necessary 
to  rid  themselves  of  the  reproaches  continually  cast  upon 
them  by  their  bitter  enemies — they  attempted  to  defend 
themselves  only  by  treating  the  Catholics,  and  their  con- 
secration with  ridicule  and  contempt;  as  manifestly  ap- 
pears from  the  expressions  of  many  of  their  most  eminent 
men  and  ablest  defenders.  "I  would  not  have  you  think," 
says  Whitaker,  •*  that  we  make  such  reasoning  of  your  or- 
ders, as  to  hold  our  own  vocation  unlawful  without  them." 

And  "you  are  highly  deceived,"  says  Fulke,  **  if  you 
think  we  esteem  your  offices  of  Bishops,  and  Priests,  and 
Deacons,  better  than  Laymen.  With  all  our  hearts,  we 
defy,  abhor,  detest,  and  spit  at  your  stinking,  greasy,  and 
^nti-christian  orders." 

And  again.     «'  Bancroft,   Bishop  of  London,  being  de- 


128  REPROACHES  OF  CATHOLICS 

manded  of  Mr.  Allebaster,  how  Parker  and  his  colleagues 
were  consecrated  Bishops  ?  answered  ;  I  hope  that  in 
case  of  necessity,  a  Priest  (alluding  to  Scory)  may  ordain 
Bishops.  This  answer  of  his  was  [objected  in  print  by 
Hollewood  against  him,  and  all  the  English  clergy,  in  the 
year  1603,  Not  a  word  was  given  in  reply;  Bancroft  him- 
self then  living."  "Vid.  Contra  Durcum,  p.  821,  and  in 
answer  to  a  counterfeit  Catholic,  Dr.  Champ,  p.  121, 
and  Nature  of  Catholic  Faith,  &c.  Rouen,  1657,  ch.  2, 
p.  8." 

And,  here  let  it  be  kept  in  mind,  that  these  men  who 
gave  an  account  of  the  Nag's  Head  affair,  and  so  positive- 
ly declared  that  Parker,  (Elizabeth's  first  Archbishop)  and 
his  colleagues,  had  no  claim  to  Catholic  consecration, 
lived  and  wrote  in  Elizabeth's  reign,  and  that  they  were 
amongst  the  most  learned  and  reputable  of  the  Catholic 
Church  in  their  day.  Hence  although  they  were  Catholics, 
and  bitterly  opposed  to  every  thing  like  reformation, 
their  testimony  in  this  case  is  entitled  to  some  respect. 
And  on  the  other  hand,  VVhitaker,  Foulke,  and  Bancroft, 
with  many  others  of  the  reformers,  who  treated  with  so 
much  contempt  every  thing  appertaining  to  Catholic 
usages  and  consecration,  were  amongst  the  first  and 
most  learned  and  respectable,  that  belonged  to  the  Church 
of  England,  in  that  day.  Would  it  not  have  been  surpris- 
ing beyond  measure,  if  these  men  had  spoken,  and  written, 
as  they  did,  on  both  sides  of  the  question  in  dispute  be- 
tween them  ;  and  that  too,  without  so  much  as  a  shadow 
of  a  foundation,  as  some  modern  divines, claiming  Apostol- 
ic succession,  would  have  us  believe  ? 

Although,  this  would  be  sufficient  to  convince  the  unbi- 
assed mind,  that  the  reformers  of  Elizabeth's  day,  had  no 
claim  to  Catholic  consecration,  through  which,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  some,  the  succession  is  to  be  kept  up ;,  we  have 


CAST  ON  REFORMERS  J2q' 

if  possible,  still  stronger  and  better  proof  in  what  follows. 
Neal  observes;  ''  These  objections"— i.e.  to  their  consecra- 
tion—''being  frequently  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  new  Bish- 
ops, by  the  Papists,  made  them  uneasy:  they  began  to 
doubt  of  the  validity  of  their  consecration.  The  affair  was 
at  length  brought  into  Parliament :  and  to  silence  all  fu- 
ture clamours,  Parker's  consecration  and  those  of  his  breth- 
ren, were  confirmed  by  the  two  houses,  about  seven  years 
after  they  had  filled  their  chairs."     Vol.  i.  pp.  142—3. 

The  circumstance  that  brought  the  affair  before  Farlia- 
ment  is  thus  related.  ''  By  a  statute  made  in  the  late  Par- 
liament a  power  was  given  unto  the  Bishops  to  tender, 
and  receive,  the  oath  of  supremacy.  Bonner  was  then  pri- 
soner in  the  Clink  or  Marshal-sea,  which  being  in  South- 
wark,  brought  bim  within  the  jurisdiction  of  Horn,  Bishop 
of  Winchester  ;  by  whose  chancellor  the  oath  was  tendered 
to  him.  On  the  refusal  of  which  oath  he  is  indicted  at 
the  Queen's  Bench  upon  the  statute,  &c.  Bishop  Bonner 
pleaded,  that  Horn,  at  the  time  when  the  oath  was  tender- 
ed, was  not  Bishop  of  Winchester;  and  therefore,  not  em- 
powered by  said  statute  to  make  tender  of  the  oath,  by  him- 
self, or  by  his  chancellor,  &c.  The  cause  came  at  last  to 
be  debated  amongst  the  judges  at  Sergeant's  Inn,  by  whom 
the  cause  was  finally,  put  upon  the  issue,  and  the  trial  of 
that  issue,  ordered  to  be  committed  to  a  jury  of  the  coun- 
ty of  Surry :  but  then  withal  says  he,  it  was  devised, 
that  the  decision  of  the  point  should  rather  be  referred  to 
the  following  Parliament ;  for  fear  that  such  a  weighty  mat- 
ter might  miscarry,  by  a  country  jury,  cf-c.  According  to 
their  sound  advice,  the  business  comes  under  considera- 
tion in  the  following  Parliament,  which  began  on  the  30th. 
Sept.  1565.  (Anno  8  Eliz.  5.j  This  Parliament  revived 
the  statute  of  Edward,  thai  authorized  the  new  form  of  mak- 
ing Bishops,  and  Priests,  repealed  by  Queen  Mary;  and  did 


130  REPROACHES  OF  CATHOLICS 

accordingly  enact,  ''that  all  persons  that  had  been,  Of 
should  be  made,  ordered,  or  consecrated  Archbishops,  Bish- 
ops, Priests,  Ministers,  or  Deacons,  after  the  form  prescrib- 
ed in  the  said  book,  be  in  very  deed,  and  also  by  authority 
hereof,  declared  and  enacted  to  be,  and  shall  be  Archbish- 
ops, Bishops,  Priests,  Ministers,  and  Deacons,  rightly 
made,  consecrated,  and  ordered;  any  statute,  law,  canon, 
or  any  thing  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding."  "  In  this 
last  act  the  church  is  strongly  settled  on  her  natural  pil- 
lars." See  Dr.  Heylen  on  the  8th  of  Queen  Eliz.  1565-6. 
pp.  345—6.  Champ,  voc.  of  Bishops,  p.  168  ;  and  Abridg. 
of  Judge  Dyers  Reports?  Eliz.  234. 

Here,  it  will  be  remembered,  that  after  being  reproached 
by  the  Catholics  for  the  space  of  seven  years,  for  the  want 
of  due  and  valid  consecration,  the  principal  reformers  suf- 
fered their  case  to  be  settled,  by  an  act  of  Parliament.  The 
Parliament  found  it  necessary,  in  the  first  place,  to  restore 
the  ordinal  of  Edward,  by  which  Bishops  were  made  ;  which 
plainly  shows  that  Parker,  and  his  colleagues,  had'  not, 
when  first  consecrated,  so  much  as  legal  jurisdiction ; 
much  less  any  claim  to  Catholic  consecration. 

This  being  the  case,  in  the  second  place,  the  Parliament 
found  it  necessary,  to  pass  an  act,  confirming  Parker  and 
others  in  ecclesiastical  authority;  and  that  all,  that  should 
be  ordained,  according  to  Edward's  ordinal,  should  be  con- 
sidered legally  authorized  to  sustain  and  fill  the  ministe- 
rial office.  And  may  w^e  not  ask  in  sober  reason,  Why  all 
this  ?  Why  did  this  wise  body  of  men  act  in  this  way, 
if  it  could  have  been  proved  that  Parker,  and  his  coadju- 
tors, had  received  Catholic  consecration  ?  But  this  did  not 
appear  to  be  made  even  a  question  amongst  them.  They 
had  no  such  pretensions,  and  consequently,  made  no  such 
elaim  ;     but    proceeded    as  true  reformers  should  have 


CAST  ON  REFORMERS  131 

done,  to  settle  the  whole  case  in  doubt  and  dispute,  accord- 
ing to  the  principles  of  the  reformation. 

Inasmuch  as  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  Succession,  is 
made  of  so  much  importance  by  our  Protestant  Episcopal 
brethren,  that  in  their  judgment — if  we  may  believe  what 
they  say— there  can  be  no  valid  ministry,  or  true  and  evan- 
gelical church  without  it ;  we  cannot  deem  it  amiss,  to  add, 
to  what  we  have  already  said,  the  following  testimony 
which  appears  to  us  to  be  quite  respectable  ;  and  especial- 
ly, as  it  not  only  accords  with  the  foregoing,  but  embodies 
in  itself  much  that  is  interesting  and  new. 

The  Right  Rev.  John  Milner,  D.  D,  in  his  End  of  Relig- 
ious Controversy,  p.  180  says. — "The  chief  question  which 
remains  to  be  discussed,  concerns   the   ministry   of  the 
Church  of  England,  namely,  whether  the  first  Protestant 
Bishops,  appointed  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  when  the  Cathol- 
ic Bishops  were  turned  out  of  their  Sees,  did  or  did  not  re- 
ceive valid  consecration  from  some  other  Bishop,  who  him. 
self  was  validly  consecrated  ?     The  discussion  of  this  ques- 
tion has  filled  many  volumes;  the  result  of  which  is,  that 
the  orders  are,  to  say  the  least,  exceedingly  doubtful.     For 
first,  it  is   certain,  that  the  doctrine  of  the  fathers  of  the 
church  was  very  loose,  as  to  the  necessity  of  consecration, 
and  ordination.     Its  chief   founder,   (Cranmer)  solemnly 
subscribed  his  name  to  the  position,   that  Princes,  and 
Governors,  no  less  than  Bishops,  can  make  Priests;  and 
that  no  consecration  is  appointed  by  scripture,  to  make  a 
Bishop  or  Priest."     "See  Burnett's  Hist,  of  Reform,  Re- 
cords B.  iii.  N.  21.     See  also  his  Rec.  Part.  ii.  N.  2." 

"  In  like  manner  Barlow,  on  the  validity  of  whose  conse- 
cration, that  of  Matthew  Parker  and  all  succeeding  Anglican 
Bishops  chiefly  rests,  preached  openly,  that  the  King's  ap- 
pointment, without  any  orders  whatsoever,  suffices  to  make 
Bishops.      ("  See  Collin's   Eccle.  Hist.  vol.  ii.  p.  136.") 


132  REPROACHES    OF  CATHOLICS 

"This  doctrine  seems  to  have  been  broached  by  him,  to 
meet  the  objection  that  he  himself  had  never  been  conse- 
crated. In  fact  the  record  of  such  a  transaction  has  been 
hunted  for  in  vain,  during  those  two  hundred  years.* 
Second  it  is  evident  from  the  books  of  controversy, still  ex- 
tant, that  the  Catholic  Drs.  Harding,  Bristow,  Stapleton^ 
,and  Cardinal  Allen,  who  had  been  fellow  students,  and  in- 
timate with  the  first  Protestant  Bishops  under  Elizabeth, 
and  particularly  with  Jewell,  Bishop  of  Sarune,  and  Horn, 
Bishop  of  Winchester,  constantly  reproached  them,  in  the 
most  pointed  terms,  that  they  never  had  been  consecrated 
at  all ;  and  that  the  latter  in  their  voluminous  replies,  never 
accepted  of  the  challenge  or  refuted  the  charge,  otherwise 
than  by  ridiculing  the  Catholic  consecration." 

*'  Third.  It  appears  that,  after  an  interval  of  fifty  years 
from  the  beginning  of  the  controversy,  namely,  in  the  year 
1613,  when  Mason,  chaplain  to  Archbishop  Abbot,  pub- 
lished a  work  referring  to  an  alledged  register,  at  Lambeth, 
of  Archbishop  Parker's  consecration  by  Barlow,  assisted 
by  Coverdale  and  others,  the  learned  Catholics  exclaimed 
that  the  Register  was  a  forgery,  unheard  of  till  that  date  ; 
and  asserted,  among  other  arguments,  that,  admitting  it  to 
be  true,  it  was  of  no  avail,  as  the  pretended  consecrator  of 
Parker,  though  he  had  set  in  several  Sees,  had  not  himself 
been  consecrated  for  any  of  them."t 

The  same  author,  in  p.  181,  says,  according  to  the  ordi- 
nal of  Edward  VI,  restored  by  EHzabeth,  Priests  were 
ordained,  by    the   power   of  forgiving  sins.  :|:     And,    ac- 

*  Burnet's  Hist,  of  Reform,  vol.  i.  Record  iii  no,  21  quest.  10. 

+  Richardson,  in  his  notes  on  Godwin's  Commentary,  is  forced  to  con- 
fess as  follows  ;  Dies  Consecrationis  ejus  (Barlow)  nondum  aput, 
p.  642. 

X  "  Receive  the  Holy  Ghost.  Whose  sins  thou  dost  forgive,  they  are 
forgiven,  and  whose  sins  thou  dost  retain,  they  are  retained,  and  be  thou  a 
faithful  dispenser  of  the  word  of  God,  and  of  the  holy  sacraments."  "Bish- 
,op  Sparrow's  Collections,"  p.  158. 


CAST    ON  REFORMERS  133 

cording  to  the  same  ordinal,  Bishops  were  consecrated 
without  the  communication  of  any  fresh  pOwer  whatever, 
or  even  the  mention  of  episcopacy ;  by  a  form  which  might 
be  used  to  a  child,  when  confirmed  or  baptized.*  This 
was  agreeable  to  the  maxims  of  the  principal  author  of 
that  ordinal,  Cranmer  ;  who  solemnly  decided,  that  "  Bish- 
ops and  Priests  were  no  two  things,  but  one  and  the  same 
office."t  These  objections  were  so  powerfully  urged  by 
our  divines.  Dr.  Champney,  J.  Lewgar,  S.  T.  B.,  and  others, 
that  almost  immediately  after  the  last  named  had  published 
his  work  containing  them,  called  Erastus  Senior,  namely, 
in  1662,  the  convocation  being  assembled,  it  altered  the 
form  of  ordaining  Priests  and  consecrating  Bishops,  in  order 
to  obviate  the  objections.  But,  admitting  these  alterations 
are  sufficient  to  obviate  all  the  objections  of  our  divines  to 
the  ordinal,  which  they  are  not,  they  come  above  a  hundred 
years  too  late  for  their  intended  purpose;  so  that,  if  the 
Priests  and  Bishops,  of  Edward's  and  Elizabeth's  reign, 
were  invaiidly  ordained  and  consecrated,  so  must  those  of 
the  reign  of  Charles  II,  and  their  successors,  have  been, 
also." 

Again,  Milner  says,  in  pp.  184-5,  ''Though  we  were  to 
admit  of  an  Apostolical  Succession  of  orders  in  the  estab- 
lished Church,  we  never  could  admit  of  an  Apostolical  Sue. 
cession  of  mission,  jurisdiction,  or  right,  to  exercise  those 
orders  in  the  Church ;  nor  can  its  clergy,  with  any  consist- 
ency, lay  the  least  claim  to  it.  For  first,  if  the  Catholic 
Church,  that  is  to  say,  its  laity  and  clergy,  all  sects  and  de- 
grees were  drowned  in  abominable  idolatry,  most  detested 
of  God  and  damnable  to  man,  for  the  space  of  eight  hun- 
dred years,"  as  the  Homilies  affirm  ;t     How  could  she  re- 

*  '■'  Take  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  remember  that  thou  stir  up  the  grace  of 
God,  which  is  in  thee  by  tht  imposition  of  hands."  Ibid  p.   1G4. 
t  See  his  Life  of  Dr.  Bailey,  also  Uodd's  Eccles.  Hist,  vol.  i. 
±  Against  the  perils  of  Idolatry,  p.  iii. 


134  REPROACHES  OF  CATHOLICS 

tain  this  divine  mission  and  jurisdiction,  all  this  time,  and 
employ  them  in  commissioaiug  her  clergy  all  this  time  to 
preach  up  this  *  detestable  idolatry  ?'  Again;  Was  it  pos- 
sible for  the  Catholic  Church  to  give  jurisdiction  and  au- 
thority, for  example,  to  Archbishop  Parker,  and  the  Bishops 
Jewell  and  Horn,  to  preach  against  herself?  In  a  word,  we 
perfectly  well  know,  from  history,  that  the  first  EnglishPro- 
testants  did  not  profess,  any  more  than  foreign  Protestants, 
to  derive  any  mission  or  authority  whatever,  from  the  Apos- 
tles, through  the  existing  Catholic  Church.  Those  of  Hen- 
ry's reign,  preached  and  ministered  in  defiance  of  all  au- 
thority, ecclesiastical  and  civil."* 

Their  successors,  in  the  ;[eigns  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth, 
claimed  their  whole  right  and  commisston  to  preach  and  to 
minister,  from  the  civil  power  only.  This  latter  point,  is 
demonstrably  evident  from  the  act  and  oath  of  supremacy, 
&c.  It  was  foretold  by  Bishop  Fisher,  in  Parliament,  that 
the  Royal  Ecclesiastical  Supremacy,  if  once  acknowledged, 
might  pass  to  a  child,  or  to  a  woman  ;t  as,  in  fact,  it  soon 
did,  to  each  of  them.  It  was  afterwords  transferred,  with 
the  crown  itself,  to  a  foreign  Calvinist,  and  might  have 
been  settled  by  a  lay  assembly,  or  Mahometan  !  This  is 
decidedly  a  renunciation  of  Christ's  commission,  given  to 
his  Apostles ;  and  hence,  it  clearly  appears,  that  there  is, 
and  can  be,  no  Apostolical  Succession  of  Ministry,  in  the 
Established  Church,  beyond  that  which  exists  in  the  other 
congregations  or  societies  of  Protestants. 

We  give  the  foregoing  testimony  as  we  find  it.  And,  if 
it  can  be  relied  upon,  it  proves 

First.  That  Cranmer,  the  first  Archbishop  in  the  Refor- 
mation, did  hold  and  teach,  the  doctrine  that,  Princes  could, 
by  the  authority  vested  in  them,  make  Priests  and  Bishops, 
without  any  consecration ;  for  no  such  thing  was  required 

«  Collin's  Hist,  vol.  ii.p.  81. 

t  See  Dodd's  Eccles,  HiBt.  vol,  i. 


CAST  ON  REFORMERS  13^ 

by  the  Scriptures.     And,  moreover,  that  Priests  and  Bish- 
ops were  one  and  the  same  thing  in  order. 

Second.  That  Barlow,  on  whom  the  validity  of  Parker's 
consecration  depends,  held  the  same  opinion  and  preached 
in  its  defence ;  because  he,  himself,  had  never  been  conse- 
crated. 

Third.  That  Parker's  Register,  as  it  was  called,  was  not 
heard  of,  for  fifty  years  after  his  consecration ;  although,  du- 
ring that  time,  the  Catholics  had  not  ceased  to  charge  the 
Protestants  with  a  want  of  due  consecration,  and  unceas- 
ingly to  reproach  them  with  their  want  of  Apostolic  Suc- 
cession. And,  while  Harding,  Bristow,  and  others  of  their 
fellow  students  were  thus  arrayed  against  them,  they  did  not 
attempt  to  defend  themselves,  farther  than  by  ridiculing  the 
Catholic  consecration  ;  thus  plainly  confessing  the  charge 
made  against  them  to  be  true. 

Fourth.  If  the  record  of  Parker's  consecration  had  not 
proven  to  be  a  forgery,  still  it  would  have  been  of  no  avail ; 
as  Barlow,  his  chief  consecrator,  had  never  been  ordained. 
He  was  made  Bishop,  under  a  former  reign,  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  his  Prince  only, 

Fifth:  The  Reformers  held  tho  Church  of  Rome,  as  de- 
plorably fallen  into  "abominable  idolatry;  detestable  in 
the  sight  of  God,  and  injurious  to  man."  It  is,  therefore,  no 
wonder  that  they  cast  off  her  authority,  and  disclaimed  all 
connection  with  her;  preferring  to  place  themselves,  in  ec- 
clesiastical affairs,  under  the  sole  authority  and  control  of 
their  Prince;  receive  their  appointments  as  Priests  and  Bish- 
ops from  him,  and  hold  their  offices  during  his  life  or  plea- 
sure. But,  this  being  the  case,  it  is  truly  astonishing  that, 
in  after  ages,  their  descendents  should  pretend  to  claim 
Apostolic  Succession  through  the  Church  which  their  Fa- 
thers so  much  despised, 
Sixth.     We  find  the  Catholics  regarded  them,  in  these 


136  REPROACHES   OF   CATHOLICS 

respects,  as  renouncing  the  authority  of  Christ ;  arid  con- 
sequently, not  only  declaied  them  to  be  destitute  of  valid 
consecration,  or  Apostolic  succession,  but  also  guilty  of 
the  blackest  heresy  and  schism.  And  this,  indeed  must  be 
acknowledged  to  be  true,  if  there  be  much  virtue  in  Cath- 
olic consecration,  as  some  Protestant  divines  of  recent  date 
v\rould  have  us  believe;  when  they  tell  us  that  through  that 
church, — called  by  the  reformers  the  Mother  of  Harlots — 
we  must  derive  Apostolic  succession  ;  without  which  there 
is  no  valid  ministry,  and  consequently,  no  true  Church  of 
Christ. 

Seventh;  The  foregoing  testimony,  against  the  pretensions- 
of  the  church  of  England — and  consequently  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopalians to  Apostolic  succession,  is  stiong; 

but  when  we  come  to  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and 
Matthew  Parker,  her  first  Archbishop,  the  evidence  against 
her  becomes  still  more  conclusive.    When  Elizabeth  came 
to  the  throne,  it  is  said,  she  first  expelled  the  Catholic  Bish- 
ops ;  and  then  strove  to  get  one  of  them  to  ordain  Parker 
and  others,  so  that  they  might  fill  the  vacant  Sees,  and  thus 
commence  anew  the  reformation.     And  it  is  further  said, 
that,  when  at  the   risk   of  life  and  liberty  they  refused  to 
comply  with  her  wishes,  Elizabeth  and  her  intended  Bish- 
ops, strove  for  many  months,   in  different  ways  to  induce 
some  one  of  them,  to  be  first  in  the  consecration.     Does 
not  all  this  plainly  show,  that  much  importance  was  attach- 
ed to  Catholic  ordination  ?  although  the  reformers  before 
and  afterwards,   treated  it  with  so  much  contempt,   as  to 
call  it,  "stinking  greasy  consecration."  Is  it  not  also  plain, 
that  there  was  not  one  amongst  themselves,  on  whose  au- 
thority they  could  fully  depend  ?  which  in  all  probability 
would  not  have  been  the  case,  if  either  of  them  had  heem 
consecrated  according  to  Edward's  ordinal. 


CAST  ON  REFORMERS  l37 

Eight,  When  they  could  not  succeed,  with  any  one 
of  the  Catholic  Bishops,  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  pro- 
ceed, in  ordaining  one  another,  under  the  authority  received 
from  the  Queen's  Letter  Patent.  This  letter,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, made  provisions  for  all  disability,  and  want  of 
authority  in  those,  who  had,  of  necessity,  to  be  first  in 
Parker's  consecration.  But  why  should  the  Queen  make 
such  provision,  if  these  consecrators  had,  through  any  kind 
of  orders,  due  authority  ?  Does  not  the  wording  of  her  let- 
ter patent,  go  to  prove,  that  in  her  estimation,  they  were 
utterly  devoid  of  all  'proper  authorityl  which,  we  think, 
could  not  have   been  the  case  had  they  been  ordained  at  all. 

Ninth.  Even  the  place  where  Parker  was  conse- 
crated— the  Nag's  Head  Inn-as  seems  to  be  acknowl- 
edged by  friends  as  Mason  and  others  as  w^ell  as  foes — is 
well  calculated  to  raise  suspicion,  that  all  could  not 
be  right.  They  had  churches  at  their  command,  and 
as  they  were  about  to  perform  so  important  a  transac- 
tion, as  to  organise  a  National  Church,  in  which  all 
must  feel  interested,  why  not  use  them,  or  the  most 
splendid  amongst  them,  as  was  most  suited  to  the  sol- 
emnities of  the  occasion?  Why  in  the  name  of  reason  go 
to  a  Tavern  to  ordain  the  first  Archbishop — if  all  was  right? 
To  say  the  least,  this — if  true — was  certainly  a  very 
strange  and  surprising  transaction. 

Tenth.  If  the  consecration  of  Elizabeth's  Bishops  had 
been  legal  and  valid,  according  to  the  usages  attempt- 
ed to  be  established  by  the  first  reformers — although  per- 
formed at  the  Nag's  Head  itself— why  did  Parliament,  when 
it  was  brought  under  their  consideration,  in  after  years, 
pass  an  act  to  restore  Edward's  ordinal  to  legal  authority  ? 
Why  enact  that  all  that  had  been,  as  well  as  all  that 
should  be  hereafter,  consecrated  according  to  the  same, 
should  be  considered  duly  consecrated,  if  in  their  estima- 
tion, Matthew  Parker  and  his  colleagues  had  been  properly 
18  ^ 


138  REPROACHES  OF  CATHOLICS 

ordained  ?  Is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  if  the  Par- 
liament had,  on  investigation,  found  that  they  had  received 
Catholic  consecration — which  is  now  by  some,  thought  to 
be  of  so  much  worth — or  even  legal  consecration  according 
to  Edward's  ordinal,  they  would  have  freely  announced  it 
to  the  whole  nation,  and  thereby  settled  the  perplexing 
question?  instead  of  tacitly  acknowleding,  by  the  Act  they 
passed,  that  they  were  not  legally  Bishops,  or  Priests,  al- 
though consecrated  according  to  Edwards  ordinal ;  to 
the  no  small  gratification  of  their  enemies. 

Eleventh.  The  immediate,  and  constant  charges,  urged 
by  Catholics,  against  Elizabeth's  first  Bishops,  of  their 
want  of  Catholic  or — as  they  esteemed,  and  expressed  it 
— due  consecration  ;  with  the  answers  returned  in  defence, 
by  the  opposite  party — that  they  made  no  account  of  Cath- 
olic orders  ;  yea,  that  they  despised  and  spit  at  them  ;  for 
in  their  estimation,  Priests,  or  even  Princes,  who  were 
nothing  but  laymen,  could  make  Bishops — show  conclu- 
sively that  they  not  only  had  not  real  Catholic  consecration ; 
but  that  they  did  not  think  it  essentially  necessary,  to  the 
existence  of  the  church,  or  a  valid  ministry. 

It  is  certainly  worthy  of  observation,  that  the  foregoing 
testimony  is  given  by  friends,  as  well  as  foes  ;  most  of 
whom  lived  in  the  very  time,  when  the  circumstances  refer- 
red to,  transpired;  and  that  they  were  amongst  the  most  learn- 
ed, and  respectable  persons  of  their  day.  Indeed,  we  find 
amongst  them,  the  Queen,  her  Bishops,  and  their  fast 
friends;  with  the  Parliament,  the  highest  legislative  body, 
belonging  to  the  nation.  And  would  it  not  be  astonishing, 
above  measure,  that  all  these,  with  all  the  interest  they 
manifested  in  the  reformation  of  the  church,  should  con- 
spire in  their  various  transactions,  to  establish  the  charge 
of  a  want  of  that  kind  of  consecration,  that  alone  can  be 
imparted  by  the  church  of  Rome,  and  which  was  held  es- 
sential to  the  ministry ;  had  not  that  charge  been  justly 


CAST  ON  REFORMERS  139 

founded?  We  think  this  conclusion  is  utterly  unavoidable; 
unless,  indeed,  we  can  agree  to  set  aside  every  thing  that 
comes  to  us,  as  historical  narrative,  no  matter  what  may  be 
the  weight  of  evidence  in  its  favour.  But  this  we  are  not 
prepared  to  do.  We,  therefore,  yield  to  the  testimony  giv- 
en ;  and  honestly  conclude,  that  the  first  Bishops  belong- 
ing to  the  Reformation,  had  not  Catholic  consecration;  and 
therefore  have  no  claim  even  to  this  day,  to  the  pretended 
Apostolic  succession.  It  follows  as  a  natural  consequence, 
that  all  those  who  have  been  ordained  by  them — whether 
for  England,  America,  or  elsewhere — must  be  in  the  same 
condition  ;  seeing  the  stream  can  rise  no  higher  than  the 
fountain. 

It  is  fortunate  for  Dr.  Chapman,  that  he  did  not  succeed 
in  proving  the  necessity  of  Apostolic  succession.  For,  if 
he  had,  he  would  have  established  beyond  contradiction, 
that  his  **  beloved  Zion,"  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  this  country,  stands,  upon  no  better  foundation  than  the 
rest  of  the  Churches,  that  he  calls  of  "  recent  date,  and  hu- 
man invention."  Her  ecclesiastical  authority  is  derived 
from  the  church  of  England  ;  and  consequently  can  be  no 
higher  than  what  that  church  is  possessed  of.  And  this 
appears  to  be  no  better,  than  such  as  Priests  or  Elders 
can  impart ;  or,  might  we  not  go  further,  and  say,  no  bet- 
ter than  can  be  derived  from  the  appointment  of  a  Prince  ? 
But  in  all  this  we  would  not  be  understood  to  say  any 
thing  to  disparage  the  true  authority  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, or  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  ;  for  we  have  no 
doubt  that^^although  they  have  no  claim  to  Apostolic  sue- 
cession^— they  have  good  and  scriptural  ground  to  rest  on ; 
ground  sufficient  for  all  religious  purposes.  And  moreov- 
er, we  are  free  to  confess,  that  they  have  been  instrumen- 
tei,  in  raising  up  many  of  the  brightest  ornaments  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  many  of  the  ablest  and  best  divines. 


140  CHURCH    OF    ROME    NO    CLAIM 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Church  of  Rome  has  no  just  claim  to  Apostolic  Consecration. 

Inasmuch  as  Dr.  Chapman  claims  for  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  Apostolic  succession,  in  virtue  of  her 
connection  with  the  Church  of  England,  which  he  supposed 
had  received  it  from  ihe  Roman  Catholic  Church,  it  will 
now  be  proper  for  us  to  show,  that  if  the  Dr.  could  have 
made  it  appear,  that  the  Catholic  consecration  had  been 
gained,  it  would  not  have  answered  his  purpose ;  inasmuch 
as  the  Church  of  Rome  herself  has  no  just  claim  to  Apos- 
tolic consecration.  This  is  evident  from  the  following  tea- 
timony. 

Dr.  Drew  in  his  life  of  Dr.  Coke.  p.  75,  in  reference  to 
this  subject,  says  ;  **  Setting  aside  all  the  argument  which 
both  reason,  and  revelation  supply  ;  and  granting,  as  a  con- 
sequence of  this  concession,  that  Bishops  are  of  a  distinct 
order  from  Presbyters,  and  superior  to  them  ;  we  must 
then  allow,  that  their  authority  must  have  been  transmit- 
ted through  a  distinct  medium,  although  it  was  derived 
from  one  common  source.  But  no  distinct  medium  can 
possibly  be  supposed  to  be  adequate,  unless  it  be  superior 
to  the  order  of  Presbyters;  and  none  above  these  can  be 
conceived  to  be  possible,  unless  it  be  an  uninterrupted  line 
of  Bishops,  extending  back  to  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  A 
denial  therefore  of  the  validity  of  ordination  by  Presbyters, 
involves  the  necessity  of  Apostolical  succession.  And  of 
this  we  can  find  but  a  very  poor  account." 

Eusebius,  who  to  us,  is  the  first  spring  of  ecclesiastical 
history,  after  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  tells  us  in  the  very 


TO    APOSTOLIC    CONSECRATION  141 

beginning  of  his  narrative,  that  one  thing,  he  primarily  had 
in  his  eye,  was,  to  give  us  an  account  of  the  Apostolic  Suc- 
cession. But  lest  we  should  raise  our  expectations  too 
high,  he  very  fairly  informs  us,  that  this  was  a  new  work, 
where  he  could  trace  no  footsteps  of  others  going  before 
him  ;  except  in  a  hw  particular  narratives.  This  was  hon- 
est. And  if,  after  this  fair  warning,  we  place  an  implicit 
confidence  in  the  account  which  he  gives  from  the  report  of 
others,  we  have  more  reason  to  accuse  ourselves  with  being 
self  deceivers,  than  to  charge  him  with  imposition." 

"As  to  the  Apostles,  he  informs  us  that  all  the  accounts 
he  can  procure,  say,  that  they  went  about  the  world  pub- 
lishing the  Christian  Faith.  He  adds,  that  it  was  reported, 
by  his  predecessors,  that  Thomas  had  Parthia,  and  Andrew 
had  Scythia  ;  that  John  had  Asia ,  that  it  was  likely  that 
Peter  had  preached  to  the  Jews,  dispersed  in  Pontus,  Gal- 
atia.  Bythinia,  and  Capadocia ;  and  that  Paul  preached 
from  Jerusalem  round  about  unto  lUiricum.  This  ac- 
count is  certainly  very  far  from  being  satisfactory.  He 
does  not  even  pretend  to  tell  us  where  they  preached  ;  nor 
even  to  know  the  methods  which  they  adopted  to  settle 
the  various  Churches  which  they  planted.  Bishop  Stilling- 
fleet  assigns  some  reasons  to  induce  a  belief  that  these  ac- 
tions, in  these  respect  were  far  from  being  uniform  ;  but 
that  they  varied  their  methods,  according  to  the  means  and 
circumstances  of  the  people,  to  whom  they  preached. 
Here  we  see  according  to  Eusebius,  our  only  guide,  we  know 
scarcely  any  thing  more  concerning  the  travels  and  man- 
ners of  the  Apostles  themselves,  than  we  gather  from  the 
sacred  records." 

'*  But  for  this  deficiency,  it  may  perhaps  be  expected, 
that  the  Historian,  will  make  an  ample  compensalion, 
when  he  proceeds  to  give  us  an  account  of  their  immediate 
successors,  and   followers.    But  in  this  instance  also,  as 


142  CHURCH    OF    ROME    NO    CLAIM 

well  as  in  many  others,  disappointment  travels  in  the  restf 
of  hope,  and  even  damps  our  expectation,  by  its  shadow." 
"  Who  they  were  says  Eusebius,  that  imitating  these 
Apostles  (meaning  Paul  and  Peter)  were  by  them  thought 
worthy  to  govern  the  churches  which  they  planted,  is  no' 
easy  thing  to  tell;  excepting  such  as  may  be  collected  from 
St.  Paul's  own  woiids."    Euseb.  Eccle.  Hist,  lib  iii,  cap,  4. 

On  this  remarkable  passage,  Bishop  Stillingfleet  make* 
the  following  observations  :  "  If  the  successors  of  the 
Apostles,  by  the  confession  of  Eusebius,  are  not  certainly 
to  be  discovered,  then  what  becomes  of  that  unquestionable 
line  of  succession  of  Bishops  of  seveial  churches  ;  and  the' 
large  diagrams  made  of  the  Apostolical  churches,  with 
every  one's  name  set  down  in  his  order ;  as  if  the  writer 
had  been  clarencieux  to  the  Apostles  themselves  ?  Are  all 
great  outcries  of  Apostolical  tradition,  of  personal  succes- 
sion, of  questionable  records,  resolved  at  last  into  the  Scrip- 
tures themselves,  by  him  from  whom  all  these  long  pedi- 
grees are  fetched  ?  Then  let  succession  know  its  place, 
and  learn  to  veil  bonnet  to  the  Scriptures.  And,  withal, 
let  men  take  heed  of  over-reaching  themselves,  when  they 
would  bring  down  so  large  a  catalogue  of  single  Bishops, 
from  the  first  and  purest  times  of  the  Church.  For  it  will 
be  haid  for  others  to  believe  them,  when  Eusebius  profess- 
eth  it  so  hard  to  find  them,"  See  Stillingfleet's  Ironic,  p.- 
297. 

"Would  it  not,  says  Calamy,  vol.  I,  p.  162,  tempt  a  man* 
to  wonder,  after  all  this,  to  find  such  a  stir  made  about  the 
tables  of  succession,  in  the  several  churches,  from  the  time 
of  the  Apostles,  as  a  pfroof  that  Diocesan  Episcopacy  hjwf 
its  rise  from  them  ?  Alas  !  the  head  of  the  Nile  is  not 
more  obscure  than  the  first  part  of  the  tables." 

''To  show,"  the  same  author  adds  in  another  place,  f  how 
littla  ground  there  is  to  depend  upon  them  in  the  preseat 


TO    APOSTOLIC    CONSECRATION  143 

ease,  I  will  give  a  brief  view,  from  the  representation  of  the 
ancients,  of  the  strange  confusion  of  the  first  part  of  the 
tables  of  the  three  most  celebrated  churches,  of  Alexandria, 
Antioch,  and  Rome." 

Our  business  is,  at  present,  with  the  Church  of  Rome; 
because  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  claims  Apostolic 
Succession  through  her.  We  therefore  omit  the  first  two, 
and  confine  ourselves  to  the  last;  as  it  immediately  relates 
to  the  subject  under  consideration. 

*'  The  settlement  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  its  much 
extolled  Apostolical  Succession  of  Bishops,  is  involved,  if 
possible,  in  still  greater  perplexity,  confusion,  and  disorder. 
According  to  some,  this  Church  was  founded  by  St.  Peter. 
Others  say  it  was  by  St.  Paul.  Some  introduce  both;  and 
others  assert  it  was  neither.  Of  this  latter  opinion,  were  the 
learned  Salmasius,  and  others. 

"But  let  us  .allow  that  St.  Peter  actually  was  at  Rome, 
of  what  advantage  will  this  be  to  the  succession  of  Bishops  ? 
If  St.  Peter  was  there,  it  is  equally  certain  that  St.  Paul 
was  there  also  ;  and,  under  these  circumstances  it  will  be 
hard  to  determine  who  was  Bishop.  St.  Paul  was  there 
first ;  and,  on  this  account,  he  is  preferred,  by  many  of  the 
ancients,  to  St,  Peter.  And,  in  the  seal  of  that  Church,  the 
former  is  placed  on  the  right  hand  and  the  latter  on  the  left. 
But  still  this  does  not  determine  who  was  Bishop.  To  ac- 
commodate this  business,  they  have  agreed  to  make  them 
both  Bishops ;  and  this,  unhappily,  destroys  the  unity  of 
the  episcopate,  by  placing  two  supremes,  at  the  same  time, 
in  the  same  Church. 

*'But,  whatever  uncertainty  may  accompany  the  question 
as  to  the  first  Bishops,  those  who  succeeded  them  are  known 
with  even  less  assurance.  On  this  point  the  ancients  and 
the  moderns  are  strangely  divided.  Some  will  have  Clitus 
expunged  out  of  the  table,  as  being  the  same  with  Anacletus, 


144  CHURCH    OF    ROME    NO    CLAIM 

and  thus  fixing  Linus  at  the  hea(i  of  the  succession,  cause 
him  to  be  followed  by  Anactelus  and  Clemens.  In  this 
manner,  Ireneus  represents  the  case.  Others  will  have 
Cletus  and  Anacletus  to  be  retained  as  distinct  Bishops, 
having  Linus  standing  between  them. 

"  At  the  same  time,  in  some  of  the  ancient  catalogues, 
Anacletus  is  excluded  ,-  and,  what  is  remarkable,  he  is  not 
to  be  found,  at  this  day,  in  the  canon  of  the  mass.  And 
yet,  in  the  Roman  martyrology,  both  Cletus  and  Anacletus, 
are  distinctly  mentioned  ;  and  a  different  account  is  given 
of  the  birth,  pontificate,  and  martyrdom  of  each. 

•'  In  the  catalogue  of  Epiphanus,  the  early  Bishops  of 
Rome  are  placed  in  the  following  order :  Peter  and  Paul, 
Linus,  Cletus,  Clemens,  and  Euaristus.  But,  in  the  cata- 
logue of  Bucher,  they  stand  according  to  the  following  ar- 
rangement :  Linus,  Cletus,  Clemens,  and  Euaristus  ;  and 
three  names  are  entirely  omitted,  namely,  Anicetus,  Elece- 
thenius,  and  Zephayrinus.  And  what  shall  we  do  with  the 
famous  Clement  ?  Does  he  style  himself  Bishop  of  Rome  ? 
Or  how  does  he  come  to  forget  his  title?" 

"It  is  said  by  some,  that,  after  he  had  been  St.  Paul's 
companion,  and  was  chosen  by  Peter  to  be  Bishop  of 
Rome,  he  gave  place  to  Linus.  But  others  assert,  with 
equal  confidence,  and,  perhaps,  with  equal  authority,  that 
Linus  and  Clemens  ;  and  others,  that  Linus  and  Cletus, 
were.  Bishops  at  the  same  time.  Tertullian,  Ruffenus^ 
and  some  others,  place  Clement  next  to  St.  Peter.  But 
Irenius,  and  Eusebius,  set  Anacletus  before  him ;  and  Op- 
talus,  makes  both  Anacletus  and  Cletus  to  precede  him. 
And  finally,  as  though  these  strenuous  defenders  of  Apos- 
tolic Succession  were  destined  to  render  it  ridiculous,  by 
the  various  methods  they  have  adopted,  to  defend  this  ten- 
der string ;  Austin,  Damasus,  and  others,  will  not  allow 
him  to  grace  the  list  untill  the  names  of  Anacletus,  Cletus* 


TO  APOSTOLIC  CONSECRATION  145 

and  Linus  have  appeared.  Such  is  the  foundation  of  Apos- 
tolic succession  in  the  Church  of  Rome  !  Surely  it  can  be 
no  breach  of  charity  to  assert  that,  ''  The  bold  imposter, 
looks  not  more  silly  when  the  cheat  is  found  out."  It  was 
not  therefore  without  reason  that  Bishop  Stillingfleet  ob- 
served ;  "the  succession,  here,  is  as  muddy  as  the  Tiber  it- 
self. And  if  the  line  fails  us  here,  we  have  little  cause  to 
pin  our  faith  upon  it,  as  to  the  certainty  of  any  particular 
form  of  church  government,  which  can  be  drawn  from  the 
help  of  the  records  of  the  primitive  church."  Ironic 
p.  312. 

*'  It  cannot  therefore  but  be  evideat  to  every  unprejudic- 
ed mind,  that,  since  such  confusion  and  disorder  appear  in 
the  front  of  these  tables  of  succession,  where  we  might  nat- 
urally expect  the  greatest  regularity  and  certainty,  no  de- 
pendance  can  be  placed  on  their  authority," 

**  That  the  pretences  to  Apostolic  succession,  and  Apos- 
tolic tradition,  which  the  great  defenders  of  Episcopal  au- 
thority make,  are  very  bold  and  high-sounding  cannot  be 
easily  denied.  And  they  come  forward,  supported^by 
a  long  list  of  succession, .  that  is  too  sacred  to  be 
touched  by  vulgar  hands,  because  the  line  professed- 
ly reaches  to  the  venerable  Churches  of  Alexandria,  An- 
tioch,  and  Rome  ;  the  mind  is  dazzled  with  the  glaring 
meteor.  But  when  the  civil  power  withdraws  its  coercive 
support,  and  as  in  this  country,  exposes  the  question  to  a 
free  investigation,  the  imaginary  rock  sinks  under  us,  and 
the  chain  crumbles  into  dust." 

••  Placing  these  tables  of  succession  in  the  most  favora- 
ble light.it  cannot  be  denied  that  Eusebius  is  the  principal 
and  almost  the  only,  author  on  whom  their  credit  depends. 
And  from  him,  we  have  already  seen,  the  sandy  foundation 
on  which  the  edifice  is  raised.  In  this  account  of  the  suc- 
cession, in  the  several  churches,  the  whole  appears  to  be 
19 


146  CHURCH  OF  ROME  NO  CLAIM 

made  up  chiefly,  from  conjecture,  at  a  distance  of  300  years 
from  the  apostolic  times ;  and  even  these  conjectures  are 
founded  on  very  dubious  authority.  The  veracity  of  Eusebius 
is  not  to  be  questioned,  so  far  as  he  was  able  to  procure  in. 
formation  of  the  fact.  He  has  given  the  world  a  convin- 
cing testimony,  by  leaving  vacancies,  even  in  his  conjectu- 
ral list,  when  he  had  no  light  to  guide  him  through  the 
gloomy  labyrinth  during  the  first  ages  of  the  church." 

"  It  therefore,  finally  appears,  that  he,  who  from  the  con- 
fused, mutilated,  and  mended,  tables  of  succession,  which 
have  been  transmitted  to  us,  in  the  records  of  antiquity, 
can  infer  the  necessity  of  Episcopal  ordination,  and  the  in- 
validity of  all  besides,  must  either  have  a  great  share  of  cre- 
dulity or  predominant  fancy."  "  See  Calamy's  Defence 
of  Modern  JNon-Conformity  vol.  i.  p.  163,  and  Dr.  Caves' 
Lives,  and  his  Primitive  Christianity." 

*'If  the  uninterrupted  Succession  were  asserted  as  neces- 
sary, it  must  then  be  incumbent  on  its  advocates  to  make 
it  out;  and  then  to  fail  in  this  would  be  to  abandon  the 
cause  altogether.  But,  from  the  view  we  have  already  ta- 
ken of  this  subject,  we  may  perceive  that  this  must  be  a 
work  of  no  common  difficulty;  and  all  who  have  underta- 
ken it,  have  failed  in  the  attempt;  and  by  their  failuie, 
have  discovered,  with  additional  evidence,  the  extent  and 
danger  of  those  quicksands,  in  which  so  many  have  been 
overwhelmed." 

The  following  remarks  and  quotations  are  found  in 
Buck's  Theo.  Die.  p.  493,  and  go  to  strengthen  what  has 
already  been  said;  "  It  is  a  very  precarious  and  uncom- 
fortable foundation  for  Christian  hope,  (says  Doddridge] 
which  is  laid  in  the  doctrine  of  an  uninterrupted  succession 
of  Bishops  ;  and  which  makes  the  validity  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  Christian  Ministers  depend  upon  such  a  succes- 
sion ;  since  there  is  so  great  a  darkness  upon  many  periods 


to  APOSTOLIC  CONSECRATION  147 

tjf  Ecclesiastical  History,  insomuch  that  it  is  not  agreed^ 
who  were  the  seven  first  Hishops  of  the  Church  of  Rome,' 
though  that  Church  was  so  celebrated.  And  Eusebius  him- 
self, from  whom  the  greatest  patrons  of  this  doctrine  have 
made  their  catalogues,  expressly  owns,  that  it  is  no  easy 
matter  to  tell  who  succeeded  the  Apostles  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Churches,  excepting  such  as  may  be  collected 
from  St.  Paul's  own  words."* 

Again.  Contested  elections,  in  almost  all  considerable 
cities,  make  it  very  dubious  which  were  the  true  Bishops. 
And  decrees  of  Councils  rendering  all  these  ordinations 
null,  where  any  simonical  contract  was  the  foundation  of 
them,  makes  it  impossible  to  prove,  that  there  is  now  upon 
earth,  any  one  person  who  is  a  legal  successor  of  the  Apos- 
tles ;  at  least  according  to  the  principles  of  the  Romish 
Church.  Consequently,  whatever  system  is  built  upon 
this  doctrine  must  be  very  precarious."! 

In  an  Encyclopedia  of  Religious  Knowledge  by  Rev.  B. 
B.  Edwards,  it  is  stated,  in  p.  245,  'Irenius  testifies  that  Li» 
nus  was  made  Bishop  of  Rome  by  Paul  and  Peter  ;  and  af- 
ter him,  Anacletus  ;  and  after  him,  Clement.  Turtullian 
says,  that  Clement  was  first  Bishop  of  Rome,  after  the  death 
of  Peter  and  Paul.  He  also  says,  that  Peter  sat  at  Rome 
twenty  five  years,  till  the  last  year  of  Nero.  Again  ;  that 
Ignatius  was  third  Bishop  of  Antioch,  after  Peter.  This 
shows,  that,  except  as  to  facts  passing  under  their  own 
eyes,  the  Fathers  are  not  to  be  relied  on ;  they  recived  tra- 
ditionary accounts  so  loosely." 

From  the  foregoing  testimony,  it  is  evident  that  the  doc- 
trine of  Apostolic  Succession  is  false.  For  Eusebius,  the 
Father  of  Church  History.althoughhe  lived  in  the  third  centu- 
ry, and  consequently  had  the  best  opportunity,  could  not 

*     See  Doddrige'sLec.  lee.  I»7. 

t  Howe's  Episcopacy,  p,  170,  &  183;  and  Chandler's  Sermon  against  Po* 
pery,  p,  34-7. 


148  CHURCH    OF   ROME    NO    CLAIM 

make  out  the  men,  who,  came  immediately  after  the  Apos- 
tles.    And  hence,   it  is  no  wonder,  that  others  of  a    more 
recent  date,  could  not;  nor  that  they  should  have  held  so 
many  diiFerent  opinions.  Some  thought  Pe/er,and  some  that 
Paul,  was  first  in  the  church  of  Rome  ;  while  others  state 
that  they  were  united  in  the  Episcopate.     On  the  other 
hand,  Salmasius,  and  others,  thought  neither  of  them  had 
anything  to  do  with  it.     Ireneus  supposed,  that  Linus,  An- 
acletus,  and  Clemens,  followed  in  the  succession  ;  others, 
Cletus,  Linus,  and   Anacletus  ,  others,  Linus,  Cletus,  Cle- 
mens, and  Euaristis  ;    while  Tertullian  and  Ruffinus  make 
Clement,  the   immediate  successor  of  Peter.     But  others 
place  Anacletus  before  him. 
.Such  being  the  confusion  of  many  of  the  anrcient  father;^, 
with  Eusebius    at  their  head,  concerning  the  commence- 
ment of  the   Succession,   what  can  we  expect  to  find  from- 
others,  in  after  ages  ?   Can  it  be  any  wonder  that    Bishop 
Stillingfleet,  a  celebrated  divine  of  the  Churc^h  of  England, 
said,  that   the  succession  was  as   "  muddy  as  the  Tiber?"" 
And  Calamy,  another  English  divine,  was  of  opinion  that 
the  head  of  the  Nile  was  not  more  obscure  than  the  first  Ta- 
bles of  Succession?" 

Bishop  Hoadley — an  eminent  prelate  of  the  Church  of 
England,  distinguished  equally  for  learning,  liberality,  piety,^ 
and  usefulness — who  examined  and  wrote  on  the  subject, 
sometime  in  the  eighteenth  century,  says:  "I  am  fully  sat- 
isfied, that,  till  a  consummate  stupidity  can  be  happily  es- 
tablished, and  universally  spread  over  the  land,  there  is  no- 
thing that  tends  so  much  to  destroy  all  due  respect  to  the 
clergy,  as  the  demand  of  more  than  can  be  due  to  them.  And 
nothing  has  so  effectually  thrown  contempt  upon  a  regular 
succession  of  the  Ministry,  as  the  calling  no  succession 
regular,  but  what  was  uninterrupted  ;  and  making  the  eter- 
nal salvation  of  Christians  to  depend  upon  that  uninter- 


TO    APOSTOLIC    CONSECRATION  149 

rupted  succession;  of  which  the  most  learned  must  have  the 
least  assurance,  and  the  unlearned  can  have  no  notion  but, 
through  ignorance  and  credulity."  See  Encyclo.  of  Reli- 
gious Knowledge-  by  Rev.  B.  B.  Edwards. 

Howe,  Doddridge,  Chandler,  and  Pierce,  with  many  oth- 
ers, have  honestly  confirmed  the  foregoing  testimony;  and 
thereby  contributed  their  part,  in  giving  to  the  world,  long 
since,  the  assurance,  that  uninterrupted  succession  never 
could  be  made  out,  even  by  the  most  devoted  to  that  doc- 
trine. If  then,  many  of  the  wisest  and  best  of  men  that 
lived  nearest  to  the  Apostles,  could  not  make  out,  with  cer- 
tainty, the  commencement  of  the  Apostolic  Succession, 
must  it  not  be  preposterous  and  absurd  in  the  highest  de- 
gree, for  men  of  recent  date,  either  Protestant  or  Catholic, 
to  claim  it  ? 

But,  as  strange  as  this  may  be,  it  is,  nevertheless,  true, 
that  there  are  men  even  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
in  this  enlightened  age  of  the  world,  who  not  only  claim 
Apostolic  Succession— although  they  cannot  possibly  make 
it  out,  even  in  the  very  commencement — but  also  place  the 
validity  0^  the  Church  and  Ministry,  with  the  salvation  of 
the  souls  of  men,  on  that  uncertain  and  sandy  foundation  ! 
Is  it  not  plain,  inasmuch  as  they  make  this  such  a  grave 
matter,  that  it  is  obligatory  on  them  to  make  out,  clearly, 
the  true  line  of  succession  ;  and  to  point  out  the  men  liv- 
ingin  this  day,  who  are  so  highly  favored  as  to  stand  in  the 
line  !  Assuredly,  until  this  be  done,  we  shall  hold  the  doc- 
trine as  existing  only  in  the  exuberant  fancy,  of  good,  but 
mistaken,  men. 

Could  even  the  first  successors  of  the  Apostles,  be  so  point- 
ed out  that  there  could  be  no  doubt  entertained  by  the  most 
incredulous,  as  to  their  succession,  yet  would  the  doctrine  of 
uninierrupied  succession  prove  to  be  false ;  because,  at  dif- 
ferent times,  since  the  Apostolic  age,  there  have  been  two. 


150  CHURCH    OF   ROME    ISO    CLAIM 

three,  and  sometimes  more  who,  at  the  same  time,  claimed' 
to  fill  St.  Peter's  chair. 

"  In  the  year  1376,  Gregory  XI,  pretending  that  he  was^ 
incited  to  the  measure  by  the  warnings  of  St,  Catharine,  of 
Senna,  transferred  the  Papal  seat  from  Avignon  to  Rome. 
This  Pontiff  died  in  the  year  1378;  and  the  cardinals  as- 
sembled to  consult  concerning  the  choice  of  a  successor;" 
when  the  people  of  Rome,  fearing  lest  the  vacant  dignity 
should  be  conferred  upon  a  Frenchman,  appeared,  in  a  tu- 
multuous manner,  before  the  conclave,  and,  with  irresistible 
clamors,  accompanied  with  most  outrageous  threats,  in- 
sisted that  an  Italian  should  be  advanced  to  the  popedom. 
The  cardinals,  terrified  by  this  uproar,  immediately  pro- 
claimed Bartholomew  de  Pregnano,  a  Neapolitan,  and  Arch- 
bishop of  Bari ;  who  assumed  the  name  of  Urban  VI.  This 
was  however,  only  intended  as  a  temporary  expedient,  to 
appease  the  clamor  of  the  populace.  But  Urban  asserted 
the  validity  of  his  election,  and  stimulated  the  people  to 
support  his  cause.  He  was,  unfortunately,  destitute  of  every 
disposition  for  conciliating  the  affections  of  his  opponents, 
or  even  for  restraining  his  particular  adherents  ;  and,  by  his' 
injudicious  severity,  and  intolerable  arrogance,  soon  made 
himself  enemies  among  people  of  all  ranks,  and  especially 
among  the  leading  cardinals.  No  longer  able  to  endure  his 
insolence,  they  withdrew  from  Rome  to  Anagni,  and  thence 
to  Fendi,  a  city  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  where  they 
elected  to  the  pontificate,  Robert,  Count  of  Geneva,  who 
took  the  name  of  Clement  VII ;  and  declared,  at  the  same 
time,  that]  the  election  of  Urban  was  a  mere  ceremony, 
which  they  had  been  compelled  to  perform,  in  order  to  calm 
the  turbulent  rage  of  the  populace.  Which  of  these  two  is 
to  be  considered  as  the  true  and  lawful  Pope,  is,  to  this  day, 
matter  of  doubt.  Nor  will  the  records  and'  writings,  al- 
ledged  by  the  contending  parties,  enable  us  to  adjust  thaf 


TO    APOSTOLIC    CONSECRATION  151 

point  with  any  ceitainty.  Urban  remained  at  Rome;  Cle- 
ment retired  to  Avignon,  in  France,  His  cause  was  espou- 
sed by  France,  Spain,  Scotland,  Sicily  and  Cyprus  ;  while 
all  the  rest  of  Europe  acknowledged  Urban  as  the  true  Vicar 
of  Chirist. 

"  That  the  union  of  the  Latin  Church  under  one  head, 
was  destroyed  at  the  death  of  Gregory  XI,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  that  deplorable  dissension,  commonly  known  by 
the  name  of  the  great  western  schism.  Upon  the  death  of 
Urban,  in  1389,  the  Italian  cardinals  proceeded  to  the  elec- 
tion of  Boniface  IX,  a  Neapolitan  ;  and  Clement  VII,  dying 
in  1394,  the  French  cardinals  raised  to  the  papal  thione,  a 
Spaniard,  who  assumed  the  name  of  Benedict  XIII.  After 
various  other  methods  recommended  for  remedying  this  un- 
fortunate schism  having  been  unsuccessful,  it  was  proposed 
that  one  or  both  of  them  should  abdicate  the  pontificate. 
But  power  is  too  pleasing  an  acquisition  to  be  easily  renoun- 
ced ;  and  the  obstinacy  of  the  ecclesiastical  rivals,  contin- 
ued to  disturb  the  tranquility  of  the  Church,  notwithstand- 
ing every  effort  to  effect  a  favorable  termination  of  the  dis- 
pute."    See  Gr.  Ch.  Hist,,  by  Dr.  Ruter,  pp.  380-1. 

During  the  Great  Western  schism,  the  cardinals  belong- 
ing to  two  of  the  contending  Popes,  because  ot  their  insuf- 
ferable contention  and  arrogancy,  agreed  together  to  assem- 
ble a  council  at  Pisa,  on  the  25th  of  March  1409,  in  order 
to  heal  the  divisions,  and  factions,  which  had  so  long  rent 
the  papal  empire.  In  which  "  a  heavy  sentence  of  con- 
demnation, was  pronounced,  on  the  fifth  of  March,  against 
the  contending  Pontiffs,  who  were  both  declared  guilty  of 
heresy,  perjury  and  contumacy,  unworthy,  of  the  smallest 
tokens  of  honour,  or  respect,  and  consequently  separated 
from  the  communion  of  the  church.  This  step  was  follow- 
ed by  the  election  of  one  pontiff  in  their  place,  which  took 
place  on  the  25th  of  June,  and  fell  upon  Peter  of  Candia, 


152  CHURCH    OF   ROME    NO    CLAIM 

known  in  the  papal  annals,  by  the  name  of  Alexander  V. 
But  all  the  decrees  and  proceedings,  of  this  famous  coun- 
cil were  treated  with  contempt,  by  the  condemned  poiKtiifs; 
who  continued  to  enjoy  the  privileges,  and  to  perform  the 
functions  of  the  papacy,  as  if  no  attempts  had  been  made  to 
lemove-  them  from  their  dignity."  "  Thus  was  the  govern- 
ment of  the  christian  church,  violently  assumed  by  these 
contending  chiefs,  who  loaded  each  other  with  reciprocal 
maledictions,  calumnies,  and  excommunications."  lb,  p. 
396. 

Hence  we  see  the  church  of  Rome,  divided  for  the  space 
of  thirty  six  years  ;  one  Pope  reigning  and  exercising  his 
authority  at  Rome  ;  another  Pope  reigning  and  exercising 
his[authority  at  Avignon  in  France  ;  the  one  thundering  his 
anathemas  against  the  other,  and  a  third  coming  in,  to 
complete  the  confusion.  May  we  not  ask  then,  in  the 
name  of  common  sense.  Who,  under  such  circumstances, 
can  determine,  which  was  the  true  head  of  the  church  ? 
and  how  can  the  succession  be  determined  ? 

But  this  is  not  all.  In  a  work  written  by  Richard  Baxter, 
— author  of  the  Saints  Everlasting  Rest — entitled  Jesuit 
Juggling  pp.  66-7,  it  is  said;  "of  the  twenty  second 
schism,  Warner  saith  thus,  an.  dom.  1373;  *'  the  twenty  sec- 
ond was  the  worst,  and  most  subtle  of  all.  For  it  was  so 
perplexed,  that  the  most  learned  and  conscientious  men 
were  not  able  to  find  out,  to  whom  they  should  adhere. 
And  it  was  continued  for  forty  years,  to  the  great  scandal 
of  the  whole  clergy ;  and  the  great  loss  of  souls,  because 
of  heresies  and  other  evils  that  then  sprung  up,  and  because 
there  was  no  discipline  in  the  church  against  them.  And 
therefore  from  Urban  VI,  to  Martin  V.  I  know  not  who  was 
Pope." 

**  After  Nicholas  IV,  there  was  no  Pope  for  two  years, 
and  a  half ;  and  Celestine  V.   that  succeeded  him,  resign- 


TO  APOSTOLIC  CONSECRATION  153 

ed  it;  Boniface  VIII  entered,  that  styled  himself  Lord  of 
the  whole  world,  in  spirituals  and  temporals;  of  whom  it 
was  said,  *he  entered  as  a  fox,  lived  as  a  lion,  and  died 
like  a  dog." 

"The  twentieth  schism  was  great  between  Alexander 
III,  and  four  schismatics,  and  lasted  seventeen  years. 
The  ninteenth  schism,  was  between  Innocent  II.  and  Peter 
Leonis,  Innocent  got  the  better,  because  he  had  more  on 
his  side.  The  thirteenth  schism,  was  between  another  and 
Benedict  VIII." 

"  The  fourteenth  schism  was  scandalous,  and  full  of  con- 
fusion, between  Benedict  IX  and  five  others ;  which 
Benedict,  was  wholly  vicious  ;  and  therefoie  being  damn- 
ed, appeared  in  a  monstrous  and  horrid  shape.  His  head 
and  tail  were  like  an  ass  ;  and  the  rest  of  his  body  like  a 
bear;  saying,  I  thus  appear,  because  I  lived  like  a  beast. 
In  that  schism  there  was  no  less  than  six  Popes  at  once, 
1,  Benedict  was  expelled  :  2,  Sylvester  III  got  in,  but 
was  cast  out  again,  and  Benedict  restored.  3  :  but,  being 
cast  out  again,  Gregory  VI.  was  put  into  his  place  :  who 
because  he  was  ignorant  of  letters,  and  yet  infallible  no 
doubt,  caused  another  Pope  to  be  consecrated  with  him,  to 
perform  church  officies,  which  was  the  fourth  ;  which  dis- 
pleased many,  and  therefore  a  third  was  chosen,  and  was 
the  fifth,  instead  of  the  two  that  were  fighting  with  one  an- 
other. But  Henry,  the  Emperor  coming  in,  deposed  them 
all,  and  chose  Clement  II,  who  was  the  sixth,  that  was 
alive  at  once." 

*'  But  above  all  schisms,  that  between  Formosus,  and 
Surgius,  and  their  followers,  was  the  foulest ;  such  saying 
and  unsaying,  doing  and  undoing  there  was,  besides  the 
dismembering  of  the  dead  Pope,  and  casting  him  into  the 
water.  And  of  eight  successors,  saith  Werner,!  can  say  noth- 
ing observable  of  them  ;  because  I  find  nothingof  them  but 
20 


154  CHURCH    OF    ROME    NO    CLAIM 

scandal,  because  of  unheard  of  contention,  in  the  holy  Apos^. 
tolic  See  one  against  another." 

*'  One  Pope  in  those  contentious  times,  I  find,  lived  in 
some  peace,  and  that  was  Sylvester  II,  of  whom  saith  Wer- 
ner ;  Sylvester  was  made  Pope  by  the  help  of  the  devil,  to 
whom  he  did  homage  ;  that  all  might  go,  as  he  would  have 
it.  But  he  quickly  met  with  the  usual  aid,  as  one  that  had 
placed  his  hope  in  the  deceitful  Devils.*' 

**  I  now  appeal  to  reason  itself,  whether  this  were  one 
church,  that  for  fifty  years  together  had  several  heads  ;  some 
of  the  people  following  one,  and  some  another ;  and  the 
most  learned,  and  the  most  conscientious,  notable  to  know 
the  right  Pope,  nor  know  him  not  to  this  day." 

Here  we  have  the  most  satisfactory  evidence,  from  one 
whose  veracity  or  piety  has  never  been  doubted,  and  whose 
praise  is' in  all  the  churches.  From  him  it  appears  that,  for 
a  considerable  length  of  time,  there  was  no  Pope;  and  again 
there  were  at  other  times  several ;  and  indeed,  at  one  time 
as  many  as  six;  some  of  them  notorious  for  ignorance, 
and  all  of  them  shamefully  given  over  to  vice  and  crime  of 
almost  every  kind;  contending,  sword  in  hand,  for  the  right 
and  supreme  authority,  to  sit  in  Peter's  chair. 

And  if  we  find  the  head  so  corrupt,  what  must  have  been 
the  rest  of  the  clergy?  Well  might  the  men  of  that  day 
ix).  the  confusion  and  abandoned  wickedness  that  pervailed, 
ask  Who  is  the  true  Pope?  and  we  ask  in  our  turn,  our 
brethren  who  contend  for  Apostolic  succession.  Where  is 
it  to  be  found?  Surely,  be  it  where  else  it  may,  it  is  not 
to  be  found  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

In  the  next  place  we  argue  that  the  doctrine  of  uninter- 
rupted Apostolic  succession,  as  claimed  by  our  modern 
Protestants,  is  false,  because  the  Papal  chair  was — if  his- 
tory be  true,  and  many  respectable  witnesses  can  be  re- 
lied on — filled  at  one  time,  by  a  lewd  woman.  See  Grego. 


TO  APOSTOLIC  CONSECRATION  155 

t)he.  Hist,  by  Dr.  Ruter  pp.  254-5.  **  Between  the  reigns 
of  Leo  IX,  and  Benedict  III.,  a  female  Pope  has  been  in- 
troduced. Tliis  extraordinary  or  imaginary  person,  is  still 
characterized  by  the  popular  name  of  Pope  Joan ;  but  the 
Papal  title  which  is  assigned  to  her  is  that  of  John  VIII. 
She  is  reported  to  have  been  a  native  of  Germany,  and  ear- 
ly to  have  conceived  a  strong  attachment  to  literature  and 
science.  With  a  view  of  gratifying,  without  restraint,  this 
favorite  propensity,  she  is  said  to  have  assumed^ the  hab- 
it of  a  man ;  and  to  have  studied  at  Athens.  From 
Athens,  she  proceeded  to  Rome,  where  her  eloquence, 
learning,  and  popular  manners,  commanded  the  admiration 
of  all  who  heard  her,  in  the  public  disputations  of  the 
schools.  By  successive  steps  she  ascended  the  Papal 
throne  in  854;  but,  unfortunately,  she  indulged  in  passions 
very  inconsistent  with  the  pursuits  of  literature,  or  the 
maintenance  of  her  dignity.  After  a  reign  of  two  years, 
five  months  and  four  days,  the  fruit  of  her  indiscretions  ex- 
posed her  in  a  very  improper  situation,  in  a  public  proces- 
sion. Her  paramour  is  said  to  have  been  a  Cardinal,  who 
officiated  as  her  Chaplain ;  and  she  expired  in  this  very 
procession,  of  the  pains  of  labour  in  the  street,between  the 
theatre  called  Coliseum,  and  the  Church  of  St.  Clement. 
Such  is  the  narrative  which  was  believed  for  successive 
centuries;  and  with  so  little  oifence  to  the  Catholics  them- 
selves, that  her  statue  is  said  to  have  occupied  a  place 
among  those  of  the  Popes,  in  the  Cathedral  of  Sienna.  It 
is  also  supported  by  the  testimony  of  Platina,  who  dedica- 
ted his  history  to  Sixtus  IV.  ;  by  that  of  Ranulfus,  in  his 
Polychronicon  ;  by  Martinus  Polonus,  afterwards  Archbish- 
op of  Cosensa;  by  Damasius,  Pandulphus,  Marianus- 
Scotus,  Sigibert,  Abbot  of  Gemblours,  Archbishop  Anto- 
ine,  and  is  mentioned  as  a  well  known  fact  by  both  Pe^' 
trarch  and  Boccacio." 


156  CHURCH  '.OF  ROME    NO    CLAIM 

Although  this  remarkable  case  is  denied  by  some  of  the? 
Catholics  in  modern  times,  it  comes  to  us  so  well  sustain- 
ed by  respectable  testimony,  that,  we  can  but  think  it  is 
entitled  to  full  credit.  How  could  such  a  tale  be  gotten 
up  ;  the  circumstances  so  particularly  marked,  and  sustain- 
ed by  many  of  the  most  learned  and  respectable  of  their 
day,  for  so  many  centuries,  without  any  attempt  at  denial, 
if  it  had  not  been  true  ?  This  we  think  hardly  possible. 
Admitting  then,  as  we  must  do,  the  degrading  story,  that 
a  filthy,  lewd  woman,  at  one  time  ascended  to  the  amazing 
dignity  of  a  Pope ;  it  must  be  allowed  there  was  at  that 
time  a  breach  in  the  succession ;  and  in  this  case  the  doc- 
trine of  uninterrupted  Apostolic  Succession  appears,  as  it 
really  is,  a  fancy  of  the  mind,  or  nothing  better  than  a 
dream.  And  yet  it  is  on  this  delusive  phantasm,  that  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  presumes  to  claim  superior 
excellence  over  her  sister  Churches  in  this  country. 


CORRUPTIONS,  &c.  157 


CHAPTER  XII. 

On  the  Corruptions  of  the  Church  of  Rome— Popes,  Priests  and  Members 

The  following  chapter  is  designed  to  show  more  fully, 
than  we  have  yet  done,  the  corruption  of  the  Church  of 
Rome;  the  boasted  fountain  of  uninterrupted  Apostolic 
Succession. 

Richard  Baxter  says — see  Jesuit  Juggling  p.  69 — **  Mar- 
celinus,  sacrificed  to  an  idol ;  Liberius  subscribed  to  the 
Arian  profession.  I  believe  there  is  a  hundred  times 
more  hope  of  their  salvation  by  repentance,  than  of  a  hun- 
dred of  their  successors.  John  XXII,  held  that  the  soul 
dies  with  the  body;  of  which  the  Parisians,  and  others, 
condemned  him.  John  XXIII  denied  the  life  to  come; 
and  so  was  an  infidel.  The  witchcraft,  poisonings,  simo- 
ny, sodomy,  adulteries,  incests,  &c.  of  others,  are  record- 
ed by  their  own  historians." 

Again.  It  is  said  by  the  same  author — pp.  61-2-3 
Pope  John  XXIII  was  arraigned  and  deposed  by  the  General 
Council,  at  Constance,  upon  seventy  articles.  The  first  Ar- 
ticle was,  that  he  was  from  his  youth,  a  man  of  a  bad  dispo- 
sition ;  immodest,  imprudent ;  a  liar,  a  rebel,  and  disobe- 
dient to  his  parents,  and  given  to  most  vices  ;  and  then 
was,  and  yet  is,  commonly  taken  for  such  a  one  by  all  that 
knew  him.  The  secondArticle  was,  how  by  simoniacal  and 
unjust  means,  he  grew  rich.  The  third  Article,  that  by 
simony  he  was  promoted  to  be  a  Cardinal.  The  fourth  Ar- 
ticle, that  being  legate  at  Bonnonia,  he  governed  tyranni- 
cally, imperiously,  unjustly ;  being  wholly  alien  from  all 


ISB  CdRRui^TIONS  OF  THE 

Christian  Justice,  divine,  human,  &c.  The  fifth  Article, 
that  thus  he  got  to  be  Pope,  and  yet  continued  as  bad  ;  and 
as  a  Pagan,  despised  the  worship  of  God  ;  if  he  perform- 
ed any,  it  was  more  lest  he  should  be  totally  blamed  of 
heresy,  and  cast  out  of  Papacy,  than  for  any  devotion.  The 
sixth  Article  was,  that,  he  was  the  oppresser  of  the  poor, 
the  persecutor  of  righteousness,  the  pillar  of  the  unjust, 
and  the  simonical,  a  server  of  the  flesh,  the  dregs  of  vices, 
a  stranger  to  virtue,  flying  from  public  consistories,  wholly 
given  to  sleep,  and  carnal  desires,  altogether  contrary  to 
the  life  and  manners  of  Christ;  the  mirror  of  infamy,  and 
the  profound  inventer  of  all  mischiefs  ;  so  far  scandalizing 
the  church  of  Christ,  that  among  christian  believers  that 
knew  his  life  and  manners,  he  was  commonly  called  the 
Devil  incarnate.  The  seventh  Article  was, that  being  a  ves- 
sel of  all  sins,  repelling  the  worthy,  he  simonically  sold 
benefices,  bishopricks,  and  church  dignities  openly,  to  the 
unworthy  that  would  give  most  for  them." 

''Three  or  four  more  of  those  articles  were  all  proven  to 
be  notorious,  by  cardinals,  archbishops,  prelates,  and  ma- 
ny more.  I  add  a  few  of  the  last.  That  he  came  to  be 
Pope  by  causing  Pope  Alexander,  and  his  physician,  Dan- 
iol  De  Sophia,  to  be  poisoned.  That  he  committed  incest 
virith  his  brother's  wife,  and  with  nuns,  and  whoredom 
with  virgins  ;  adultery  with  mens'  wives,  and  other  crimes 
of  incontinency,  for  which  the  wrath  of  God  cometh  on  the 
children  of  disobedience.  That  he  was  notoriously  guilty 
of  murder,  and  other  grievous  crimes  ;  a  dissipater  of  the 
church  goods,  a  notorious  Simonist,  and  a  pertinacious 
heretic.  That  often  he  obstinately  asserted,  dogmatized, 
and  maintained,  that  there  is  no  life  everlasting,  nor  any 
other  after  this.  Moreover,  he  said,  and  obstinately  believ- 
ed, that  the  soul  of  man  dies,  and  is  extinct  with  the  body 
like  the  brute  beasts  ;  and  the  dead  shall  not  rise  again  at 


CHURCH   OF  ROME  159 

the  last  day ;  contrary  to  the  article  of  the  resurrection. 
Thereupon  the  council  deposed  him." 

*'Novv,  judge  whether  the  Roman  Church  had  a  holy  head 
when  it  had  a  heathen  and  a  devil  incarnate." 

"  The  General  Council  of  Basil  deposed  Pope  Eugenius, 
IV,  as  being  a  rebel  against  the  holy  canons,  a  notorious 
disturber  and  scandalizer  of  the  peace  and  unity  of  the 
church,  a  simonist  and  perjured  wretch,  incorrigible,  a 
schismatic,  and  an  obstinate  heretic." 

**Pope  John  XIII,  alias  XII,  was  in  council  convicted  of 
ravishing  maids,  wives,  and  widows  at  the  Apostolic  doors, 
and  committing  many  murders;  he  drunk  a /ie«///i  to  the 
devil,  and  at  dice  called  to  Jupiter,  and  Venus  for  health  ; 
and  at  last  was  slain  in  the  act  of  adultery.  Platina  saith, 
he  was  from  his  youth,  a  man  contaminated  with  all  dis- 
honesty, and  filthiness,  and  if  he  had  any  time  to  spare 
from  his  lusts,  he  spent  it  in  hunting,  and  not  in  praying ; 
a  most  wicked  man  or  rather  a  monster.  The  life  of  that 
most  wicked  man,  being  judged  in  a  Council  of  Italian 
bishops  ;  for  fear  of  them  he  fled,  and  lived  like  a  wild 
beast  in  the  woods.  At  last  he  got  the  better  again,  by  the 
help  of  his  friends  at  Rome;  till  an  angry  man  found  him 
with  his  wife,  and  sent  him  to  answer  it  in  another  world." 

**  Many  others  of  them  have  been  most  wicked  wretches, 
common  adulterers,  fornicators,  and  Sodomites,  who  poi. 
soned  their  predecessors  to  gQi  the  popedom.  Baronius, 
their  flattering  champion,  saith,  Annal  ad  an  912:  'What, 
then,  was  the  force  of  the  Holy  Roman  Church  ?  How  ex- 
ceedingly filthy,  when  the  most  potent,  and  yet  the  most 
sordid  whores  did  rule  at  Rome  ?  by  whose  pleasure  sees 
were  changed,  prelates  were  given,  and  which  is  a  thing 
horrid  to  be  heard,  and  not  to  be  spoken,  their  lovers  or 
mates  were  thrust  into  Peter's  chair;  being  false  Popes, 
who  are  not  to   be    written  in  the  catalogue  of  Roman 


160  CORRUPTIONS   OF  THE 

Popes,  but  only  for  the  marking  out  of  such  times.  And 
what  kind  of  Cardinals,  Priests,  and  Deacons,  think  you, 
we  must  imagine  that  those  monsters  did  choose,  when  no- 
thing is  so  rooted  in  nature,  as  for  every  one  to  beget  his 
like?' 

'*  Genebrard,  that  splenish  Papist,  Lib.  iv,  sec.  x,  saith  : 
•  In  this  one  thing  that  age  was  unhappy,  that,  for  near  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  about  fifty  Popes  did  wholly  fall 
away  from  the  virtue  of  their  ancestors,  being  rather  iriegu- 
lar  and  apostatical,  than  apostolical.*  '  So  that  the  Church 
of  Rome  had  not  then  a  holy  or  apostolical  head.' 

"  Pope  Adrian  VI  writeth,  De.  Sacram,  Confess,  Art.  4, 
that  there  have  many  Popes  of  Rome  been  heretics.  Two 
or  three  general  councils  condemned  Pope  Honorius  for  a 
heretic, 

"  If  I  should  tell  you  what  their  own  writers  say  of  the 
wickedness  of  the  Roman  Clergy,  in  many  ages  ;  and  of 
the  wickedness  of  the  Roman  people  ;  of  the  large  sums 
of  money  that  the  Pope  hath  yearly,  for  the  licensed  or  tole- 
rated brothels,  in  Rome,  you  would  think  that  the  body  of 
the  particular  Roman  Church,  was  near  kin  to  the  head, 
and,  therefore,  not  the  holy  mistress  of  all  churches.'* 

lb.  pp.  219-20,  it  is  said:  "  The  odious  sin  of  Sodomy, 
was  common  with  many  of  the  clergy  and  Popes  them- 
selves; gluttony,  drunkenness,  and  whoredom,  being  the 
common  smaller  sins. 

"  Orichovious  informs  Pope  Julius  III,  that  Pope  Paul  II, 
his  predecessor,  had  a  daughter,  in  the  eyes  of  all  men. 

*' Of  Pope  Julius  III,  Onuphrius  saith:  *  Being  a  Cardi- 
nal, he  followed  voluptiousness,  as  by  stealth ;  but  being 
made  Pope,  he  cast  away  all  care,  and  gave  up  himself  to 
his  mirth  and  disposition.'  Thuanus  also  declares.  Hist, 
lib.  6,  *  He  was  very  infamous  as  a  cardinal,  but  afterwards 
put  his  life  in  greater  infamy.* 


CHURCH   OF    ROME  161 

*'AWarus  Pelagius,  lib.  2.  art.  73,  lamenting  whoredom 
as  a  common  sin,  but  especially  of  the  clergy,  tells  us,  that 
the  cause  is,  because  the  religious  of  that  age  were  gluttons 
or  belly  gods,  arrogant,  proud,  incomparably  beyond  secular 
men,  conversing  with  women,  &c;  and  drink  more  wine,  in 
their  religious  state  than  before,  and  are  commonly  carnal. 
Tha.t  the  Monks  had  then  female  devotees,  with  whom,  by 
the  prelate's  license,  they  conversed.  Being  sent  to  preach, 
they  go  to  lewdness.  That  there  was  scarcely  any  of  the" 
wwns  without  her  carnal  male  votary;  by  which  they  broke 
their  faith  with  Christ.     That  was  the  Holy  Papacy. 

"  In  book  2,  art.  28,  he  says :  '  Most  of  the  clergy  mix 
themselves  with  gluttony,  drunkenness,  and  whoredom, 
which  is  their  common  vice  ;  and  most  of  them  give  them- 
selves to  the  unnatural  vice  !  Thus  continually,  yea,  and 
publicly,  do  they  offend  against  that  chastity,  which  they 
promised  to  the  Lord;  besides  those  evils,  not  to  be  named 
which  in  secret  they  commit,  which  papers  will  not  receive, 
nor  pen  can  write.'  Abundance  more  he  hath,  of  the  same 
subject,  and  their  putting  their  choicest  youth  into  houses 
of  Sodomy.  That  book  of  Alvarus  Belagius,  Bellarmine 
calls  Liber  insignis ;  de  Scriptor  Ecclesiast." 

"  Let  the  Papists  observe,  that  it  is  from  the  very  word  of 
their  own  authors,  that  I  have  spoken  of  them  what  is  here 
recited,  and  not  from  their  adversaries." 

And,  in  Gr.  Ch.  Hist.,  by  Dr.  Ruter,  p.  513  it  is  said  :  ''  In- 
nocent X,  to  the  most  profound  ignorance,  united  the  most 
shameful  profligacy ;  and  was  the  dupe  of  an  abandoned 
woman,  with  whom  he  lived  in  the  most  infamous  com- 
merce ;  and  who,  to  complete  the  scandal,  was  the  widow  of 
his  brother.*' 

Many  more  authors  might  be  quoted,  to  establish  the 
abandoned  profligacy  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  exempli- 
fied,  not  only  in  her  Priests,    Friars,  and  Cardinals,  bnl 


'162  "corruptions  of  the 

also  in  her  Popes,  the  professed  successors  of  Peter,  and 
Vicars  of  Christ.  But  enough  has  been  done,  not  only  to 
show  how  fitly  the  term  '*  Mother  of  Hailots,"  is  applied  to 
the  Catholic  Church;  but  also  to  disgust  the  virtuous  and 
turn  the  very  heart  sick.  The  authors  already  recited,  are 
of  such  undoubted  veracity,  that,  when  they  tell  us  for 
ages,  the  most  abominable  crimes  were  coinmilted,  by 
the  hiarhest  dis^nitaries  of  the  Church  of  Rome — and,  conse*" 
quently  the  whole  body  was  corrupt — we  must  believe 
them  ;  and  especially,  when  they  bring  into  view,  the  ex- 
pressions of  their  most  favored  and  accredited  authors,  to 
establish  what  they  say. 

And  now,  in  good  faith  we  ask,  Can  any  one  believe  that 
men,  guilty  of  such  atrocious  crimes,  as  we  see  many  of 
the  Popes  of  Rome,  can  be  considered  as  the  Ministers  of  the 
Holy  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  ?  and  especially  as  pos- 
sessing in  themselves  the  only  true  Apostolic  dignity  and 
authority,  to  constitute  ministers  for  Christ,  or  to  confer  on 
others  the  true  and  valid  Apostolic  Succession.?  Is  it  not 
certain,  in  view  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  that  such  filthy 
and  doubly-degraded  brutes,  are — as  some  have  styled  them— 
''Devils  incarnate  ;"  men  utterly  devoid  of  all  Apostolic  and 
Divine  authority,  and  much  more  the  ministers  of  Hell 
than  of  Heaven?  And  would  there  not  be  as  much  propri- 
ety in  going  to  his  Satanic  majesty  for  holy  orders,  to  qual- 
ify us  to  minister  in  holy  things,  as  to  one  of  them  ?" 
.  If  there  had  been  no  breach  in  the  succession,  and  con- 
sequently a  true  line  of  Bisliops  had  been  handed  down 
from  the  Apostles  to  this  day,  the  corruption  itself,  of  the 
pretended  successors  of  Peter,  would  have  been  sufficient 
to  invalidate  all  claim,  through  them,  to  divine  authority, 
No  one,  that  is  not  blinded  by  prepossession  or  prejudice^ 
can  possibly  believe  that  such  men  had  the  slightest  claim 
to  their  ministerial  authority ;  or  that  they  were  in  any  wise 


CHURCH   OF  ROME  163" 

qualified  to  confer  such  authority  upon  others.  Here,  then, 
we  have  a  deep  chasm,  a  blank  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  while  corruption  reigned,  with  universal  and  uncon- 
trolled dominion,  in  the  Roman  ('atholic  Church;  and  con- 
sequently buried,  in  the  deepest  oblivion,  all  pretensions  to 
the  boasted  Apostolic  Succession. 

The  Saviour  of  mankind,  who  understood  the  end  from 
the  beginning;  who  could  look  through  all  futurity,  as  well 
as  penetrate  into  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  human  heart, 
did,  while  here  upon  earth,  laying  the  foundation  of  his  own 
glorious  Church,  solemnly  warn  us  against  all  such  pretend- 
ers to  ministerial  sanctity  as  we  find  many  of  the  Roman 
Priests  and  Pontiffs  to  have  been.  In  Matthew  vii,  15,  he 
says :  "  Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in 
sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves  ;'* 
and,  in  verse  16,  he  adds:  "Ye  shall  know  them  by  their 
fruits.'*  How  could  any  set  of  men  answer  the  description 
of  character  here  given,  more  perfectly  than  these  pretend- 
ers to  Apostolic  authority  did  ?  They  came,  it  is  true,  in 
"sheeps'  clothing,"  not  only  professing  to  be  the  disciples 
of  Christ,  but  his  truly  authorized  and  highly  honored  min- 
isters, whose  duty  it  should  have  been,  to  watch  over  and 
feed  the  flock  of  Christ ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  what  can 
be  more  evident  than  that  they  were  inwardly  ravening 
wolves  ?  the  most  hidden,  crafty,  and  blood-thirsty  ani- 
mals;  continually  howling  after  their  prey;  nor  satisfied, 
even  after  selling  the  Church,  the  bodies,  and  even  the  souls 
of  men,  for  filthy  lucre,  with  which  to  gratify  their  abomi- 
nable lusts. 

Instead,  therefore,  of  their  having  any  connection  with, 
or  authority  from,  the  Saviour,  the  great  Head  of  the  Church, 
as  his  ministering  servants;  *'  by  their  fruits"  or  their  pro- 
fligate course  of  conduct,  we  see  they  were  truly  the  false 
prophets,  against  whom  the  Saviour  so  plainly  warns  us. 


164  CORRUPTIONS  OF  THE 

And,  consequently,  it  is  worse  than  absurd  to  look  for,  or 
claim,  Apostolic  aivthority  through  them  ;  seeing  they  had 
no  connection  with  the  Apostles;  and  in  character  were  op- 
posed to  them  in  every  possible  sense. 

Before  we  close  this  chapter,  we  can  but  notice  the  dia- 
bolical spirit,  of  these  pretenders  to  Apostolic  sanctity,  as 
exemplified  in  the  bloody  Crusades,  in  which  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  men,  woman,  aud  children,  were  butchered 
in  the  most  horrid  manner,  for  Christ's  sake.  Who  can  read 
concerning  those  holy  wars,  without  feeling  his  soul  sicken 
within  him,  Sfc.  his  blood  to  run  chill  in  his  veins? 

Were  it  necessary,  we  might  here  give  from  the  most  res- 
pectable authors,  a  detail  of  as  horrid  crimes,  as  ever  dis- 
graced human  nature.  To  see  innocent  children  taken  by 
the  heels  and  their  brains  dashed  out  against  a  wall ;  and 
delicate  women,  having  their  bowels  ripped  open,  and  their 
unborn  infants  taken  from  them,  and  dashed  to  pieces ; 
Oh,  holy  successors  of  Peter ! — But  no ;  Peter  never  thought 
of  such  monsters  claiming  authority  from  him,  or  through 
his  divine  master  ;  for  their  conduct  proved  them  to  be  any 
thing  else  than  the  servants  of  Christ.  But  it  is  enough; 
especially  as  we  have  to  turn  our  attention,  to  what  is  the 
climax  of  all  iniquity;  the  Inquisition.  The  following  ac- 
count of  this  tribunal,  that  had  its  foundation  in  blood,  is 
found  in  Fessender  &  Go's  Ency.  of  Relig.  Knowledge,  p. 
660.  "  In  the  church  of  Rome,  a  tribunal,  (the  Inquisition) 
in  several  Roman  Catholic  countries,  erected  by  the  Popes, 
for  the  examination  and  punishment  of  heretics.  Its  first 
object,  and  victims,  were  more  especially  the  Waldenses. 
This  court  was  founded  in  the  twelfth  century,  under  the 
patronage  of  Pope  Innocent,  who  issued  out  orders  to  ex- 
cite the  Catholic  princes  and  people  to  extirpate  heretics, 
to  search  into  their  number  and  quality,  and  to  transmit  a 
faithful  account  thereof  to  Rome.     Hence  they  were  called 


CHURCH  OF  ROME  165 

Inquisitors,  and  gave  birth  to  this  formidable  tribunal,  called 
the  Inquisition.  That  nothing  might  be  wanting  to  ren- 
der  this  spiritual  court  formidable  and  tremendous,  the 
Roman  Pontiffs  persuaded  the  European  princes,  and  more 
especially  the  Emperor,  Frederick  II.  and  Louis  IV.  King 
•of  France,  not  only  to  enact  the  most  barbarous  laws 
against  heretics,  and  to  commit  to  the  flames,  by  the  minis- 
try of  public  justice,  those  who  were  pronounced  such  by 
the  inquisitors;  but  also  to  maintain  the  inquisitors  in  their 
office,  and  grant  them  their  protection  in  the  most  open  and 
solemn  manner.  The  edicts  to  this  purpose  issued  out  by 
Frederick  II  are  well  known ;  edicts  sufficient  to  have  ex- 
cited the  greatest  horror,  and  which  rendered  the  most  il- 
lustrious piety  and  virtue,  incapable  of  saving  from  the 
most  cruel  death,  such  as  had  the  misfortune  to  be  disagree- 
able to  the  inquisitors." 

*'This  diabolical  tribunal  takes  cognizance  of  heresy, 
Judaism,  Mahometanism,  Sodomy,  and  Polygamy  ;  and  the 
people  stand  in  so  much  fear  of  it,  that  parents  deliver  up 
their  children,  husbands,  their  wives,  and  masters  their 
servants,  to  its  officers,  without  daring  in  the  least  to  mur- 
mur. The  prisoners  are  kept  for  a  long  time,  till  they 
themselves  turn  their  own  accusers,  and  declare  the  cause 
of  their  imprisonment;  for  which  they  are  neither  told  their 
crime,  nor  confronted  with  witnesses.  As  soon  as  they 
are  imprisoned,  their  friends  go  into  mourning,  and  speak 
of  them  as  dead,  not  daring  to  solicit  their  pardon,  lest 
they  should  be  brought  in  as  accomplices^.  When  there  is 
no  shadow  of  proof  against  the  pretended  criminal,  he  is 
discharged,  after  suffering  the  most  cruel  tortures,  a  tedious 
dreadful  imprisonment,  and  the  loss  of  the  greatest  part  of 
his  effects.  The  sentence  against  criminals,  is  executed 
with  great  solemnity.  Iq  Portugal  they  erect  a  theatre  capa- 
ble of  holding  three  thousand  persons,  in  which  they  place 


166  CORRUPTIONS  OF  THE 

a  rich  altar,  and  raise  seats  on  each  side,  in  the  form  of  an 
amphitheatre.  There  the  prisoners  are  placed,  and  over  a- 
gainst  them  is  a  high  chair,  whither  they  are  called  one  by 
one  to  hear  their  doom,  from  one  of  the  inquisitors.  These 
unhappy  persons  know  what  they  are  to  suffer  by  the 
clothes  they  wear  that  day  ;  those  who  appear  in  their  own 
clothes,  are  discharged  on  paying  a  fine  ;  those  who  have 
a  santo  benito,  or  strait  yellow  coat  without  sleeves, 
chequered  with  St.  Andrew's  cross,  have  their  lives,  but  for- 
feit all  their  effects ;  those  who  have  the  resemblance  of 
flames  made  of  red  serge,  sewed  upon  their  santo  benito, 
without  any  cross,  are  pardoned,  but  threatened  to  be  burnt, 
if  ever  they  relapse  ;  but  those  who  besides  those  flames, 
have  on  their  santo  benito  their  own  picture,  surrounded 
with  devils,  are  condemned  to  expire  in  the  flames."  In 
Spain  alone,  near  half  a  million  have  suffered  as  its  victim." 

This  tribunal — created  as  some  would  have  us  believe  by 
the  true  successors  of  Peter — governed  as  it  was  by  arro- 
gance, malice  and  the  hellish  thirst  for  gold,  or  the  most 
degraded  and  diabolical  passions,  that  can  influence  the 
dark  and  corrupt  heart  of  man,  must  have  given  perpetual 
uneasiness  and  alarm^  wherever  it  existed.  No  man's  pie- 
ty or  innocence  gave  him  any  security ;  but  was  rather  a 
cause  of  distrust,  as  it  was  likely  to  awaken  hatred  and 
jealousy.  No  man's  office,  let  it  be  ever  so  high  and  hon- 
ourable, could  secure  him;  as  they  had  authority  to  seize 
whomsoever  they  would,  and  were  not  to  be  accountable 
to  any  civil  tribunal  for  their  conduct.  Wealth,  instead  of 
giving  security,  was  the  more  likely  to  excite  their  sordid 
thirst  for  gold.  No  state  or  condition  in  life,  gave  to  any 
one,  a  perfect  exemption  from  the  cruelties  of  the  dreadful 
Inquisition. 

What  fear  and  terror,  must  have  rested  upon  the  mind 
of  the  community,  when  they  found  the  most  innocent  and 


CHURCH  OF  ROME  167 

unsuspected,  dragged  to  the  dungeon;  children  torn  away 
from  their  parents  ;  and  the  unsuspecting  husband,  or  the 
innocent  wife,  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  were  arrested  by  the 
more  than  brutal  officers  of  that  bloody  institulion,  and  that, 
too,  to  the  knowledge  of  their  dearest  fi lends  ;  to  be  im- 
prisoned and,  tortured,  and  in  all  probability,  consumed  in 
the  flames  !  What  dread  must  have  been  felt  when,  al- 
though thus  bereaved  of  their  dearest  relatives  and  friends, 
they  dared  not  so  much  as  to  breathe  a  murmur,  or  a  sigh, 
in  token  of  their  distress  or  disapprobation  !  Is  it  not  sur- 
prising that  they  could  be  so  ignorant,  or  superstitious,  as 
to  yield  to  such  a  state  of  things  ?  and  yet  they  did;  and 
put  on  mourning  for  their  friends,  as  soon  as  they  were  ta- 
ken from  them,  as  if  they  were  already  dead. 

This  horrid  institution— having  for  its  object  the  torture 
and  death  of  the  best  of  men — whose  restless  and  relentless 
spirit  was  constantly  manifested  in  deeds  of  infamy  and 
blood,  was  anything  but  Christian  ;  and  could  claim  no  re- 
lationship whatever  to  the  Gracious  Redeemer,  who  mani- 
fested, both  by  his  conduct,  and  by  his  words,  that  he 
*'came  not  to  destroy  mens'  lives,  but  to  save  them."  Neith- 
er could  it  claim  any  affinity  to  the  peaceful,  laborious, 
and  holy  Apostles  of  the  Saviour,  who,  like  their  Master, 
instead  of  doing  injury  to  any,  "went  about  doing  good.** 
Nothing  could  be  more  unlike  the  Holy  religion  of  the  Re- 
deemer;  nothing  more  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  Christ; 
and  nothing  more  opposed  to  the  practice  of  the  Apostles 
and  first  christians,  than  the  spirit  and  practice  of  this  cru- 
el and  bloody  institution. 

Must  it  not  be  conceded,  oti  all  hands,  that  an  institu- 
tion, such  as  the  Inquisition— that  destroyed  the  peace  of 
security,  tore  asunder  in  the  most  unrelenting  manner  the 
tenderest  ties  of  humanity:  that  delighted,  and  revelled  in 
the  pain  and  anguish,  the  blood  and  destruction  of  the 


258  CORRUPTIONS   OF  THE 

peaceful  and  unoffending  ;  persevering  in  its  deeds  of  crue-l- 
ty  and  murder,  glutted  with  the  anguish  and  blood  of  mil- 
lions of  the  human  family — must  have  been  brought  into 
existence  by  the  arch-enemy  and  cruel  murderer  of  man  ? 
for  surely,  nothing  can  be  more  diabolical  than  this  Insti- 
tution. 

And  that  feature  in  it,  that  is  the  most  hateful  of  all  oth- 
ers, and  makes  it  the  more  evidently  the  offspring  of  Satan, 
is  its  base  and  deep  hypocrisy,  in  pretending,  that  all  its 
cruel  and  bloody  deeds,  were  performed,  for  Christ's  sake, 
or  for  the  glory  and  promotion  of  his  peaceful  Kingdom 
upon  earth.  The  devil  viras  a  deceiver  and  a  murderer 
from  the  beginning ;  but  Christ  came  to  bring  peace  and 
good  will  to  man.  Nothing  could  be  more  in  opposition 
to  Christ;  nothing  more  like  the  Arch  Fiend  of  Hell,  than 
this  diabolical  Institution. 

The  cruel  and  diabolical  spirit  of  this  tribunal,  was  not 
confined  to  the  walls  of  the  Inquisition  or  its  immediate  vi- 
cinity. It  diffused  itself  through  many  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth ;  subduing  and  subverting  the  hearts  of  Kings  and 
Emperors,  as  well  as  their  subjects  ;  causing  tears  and  an- 
guish in  every  direction,  and  shedding  the  blood  of  thou- 
sands and  millions,  of  the  most  excellent  and  devout  of 
God's  dear  children. 

Who  can  forget  the  persecution  and  bloody  butchery  of 
the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses  ?  The  massacre  of  thirty 
thousand  Huguenots  in,  and  about  Paris  in  France?  or 
the  two  hundred  thousand  protestants  in  Ireland,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  of  whom  fell  in  Ulster  alone, 
and  all  in  a  few  weeks  ?  op  the  many  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands in  England,  under  the  reign  of  Bloody  Queen  Mary  ? 
And  all  this  too,  with  the  hypocritical  pretension,  of  pro- 
moting the  welfare  of  the  church  of  Christ.  And  who  does 
not  know  that  the  same  spirit  exists  in  the  old  Mother  of 


CHURCH    OF    ROME  169 

Harlots  and   abominations  ;  and   would   now,  if  it  could, 
shed  rivers  of  the  blood  of  Protestants,  as  in  days  of  yore  ? 

These  deeds  of  darkness  and  crime,  we  would  gladly 
cover  over  and  pass  in  silence,  but  for  the  necessity  laid 
upon  us  in  refuting  the  doctrine  of  Uninterrupted  Apostol- 
ic Succession,  by  which  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
both  claims  superiority  over,  and  endeavours  to  unchurch, 
all  the  rest  of  the  Protestant  Churches.  It  is  necessary  to 
show  the  source  from  which  she  claims  her  high  author- 
ity, or  the  corrupt  channel  through  which  it  must  be  deriv- 
ed; that  she  may  appeal,  and  stand  in  her  proper  glory 
and  not  in  another,  according  to  her  own  desire.  But 
what  glory  can  this  be,  that  comes  through  so  much  pollu- 
tion and  blood  ?  Surely  any  thing  but  the  glory  that  comes 
from  God,  and  belongs  to  the  peaceful  Kingdom  of  the  Re- 
deemer upon  earth. 

How  plain  it  must  be  to  the  unprejudiced  mind,  that  the 
horrid  corruption  that  reigned  in  the  church  of  Rome,  with- 
out interruption  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years — if  we  could 
say  no  more — utterly  destroys  all  claim  to  uninterrupted 
Apostolic  Succession  through  her. 

When  instead  of  being  holy,  harmless,  and  undefiled, 
in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation  ;  or  re- 
deemed from  all  iniquity,  "  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of 
good  works,*'  as  the  Savious  designed  his  people  should  be; 
the  church  of  Rome  became  eaithly,  sensual,  and,  dev- 
ilish ;  lived  in  all  earthly  pleasure,  in  all  low  sensual  de- 
lights, and  practised  all  those  hellish  passions,  that  contin- 
ually delighted  in  nothing  but  the  shame  and  destruction 
of  mankind ;  she  was  as  destitute  of  divine  authority,  as 
Mahomed  could  be  ,  and  hence,  it  would  be  as  vain  and 
absurd,  to  look  to  her  for  Apostolic  authority,  as  to  him. 

With  a  knowledge  of  the  true  condition  of  the  Church  of 
Rome  ;  her  unchristian  assumption  of  civil  and  divine  au- 
22 


170  CORRUPTIONS  OF  THE 

thority  by  her  Popes;  her  arrogance  and  piide,  her  infidel- 
ity and  blasphemy;  her  schism  and  strife,  with  all  the  man- 
ifestations of  her  total  corruption  and  crime  ;  it  is  won- 
derful, that  any  branch  of  the  Protestant  Church  can  wish 
to  claim  any  affinity  to,  or  authority  from,  her  ;  much  less 
to  hold  her  up  to  the  world  as  the  mother  of  all  the  church- 
es, and  the  only  true  fountain  of  ministerial  authority  and 
discipline. 

When  we  see  a  sister  church  doing,  or  striving  to  do  this, 
is  it  not  enough  to  make  us  conclude,  that  she  has  by  some 
means  become  greatly  bewildered,  and  stands  in  need  of 
some  friendly  hand,  to  lead  her  back  in  the  good  and  right 
way?  and  does  not  charity  demand,  that  we  examine,  in 
view  of  the  truth  and  in  reference  to  the  general  good  of  the 
church,  into  the  ground  of  her  mistake  ? 

We  are  ready  to  inquire,  What  is  it  ?  How  or  why  is  it 
that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  now  pretends  to 
claim  all  her  true  ecclesiastical  authority,  through,  or 
from  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  ?  when  her  forefathers, 
the  great  reformers  in  England,  Scotland,  Germany,  and 
every  where  else,  sought  with  diligence,  and  risked  their 
property  and  lives  to  cast  off  her  authority ;  and  rejoiced 
with  exceeding  great  joy,  when  they  were  delivered  from 
her  tyranny,  and  finally  separated  from  her  communion. 
They  held  and  called  her  the  Mother  of  Harlots  ;  the  most 
filthy  and  abominable  of  all  harlots.  The  reformers  in 
England  for  many  years,  not  only  disavowed  all  connection 
with  Papacy,  but  treated  with  the  most  perfect  contempt, 
its  high  and  exclusive  claim  to  Apostolic  authority. 

What  then  can  be  the  cause  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  claiming  such  an  unholy  alliance  ?  What  can  make 
her  look  for  ministerial  authority,  where  her  fathers  dis- 
dained to  look,  if  it  be  not  some  radical  error,  into  which 
she  has  unhappily  fallen  ?  The  truth  is,  she  has  erred  at  th© 


CHURCH  OF  ROME  17 1 

Verythreshhold.  She  has  placed  all  validity,  sanctity,  and 
holy  authority,  on  the  bare,  outward,  imposition  of  hands, 
on  the  supposition  that  this  ceremony,  in  the  order  of  God, 
conveys  divine  authority;  whereas  in  the  sacred  scriptures 
there  is  no  chart  or  example  for  any  such  thing. 

To  say  that  a  man  has  true  ministerial  authority,  because 
he  has  been  ordained  by  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  one, 
who  has  been  himself  ordained  in  a  regular  line  of  succes' 
sipn,  from  the  Apostles  ;  and,  notwithstanding  he  may  be 
among  the  most  vile  and  corrupt  beings  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth — as  many  of  the  Popes  notoriously  were — that  he 
still  has  power  to  constitute  ministers  for  Christ,  by  the 
imposition  of  his  unholy  hands  ;  is  not  only  contrary  to 
the  doctrine  and  order  of  Christ,  as  set  forth  in  the  scrip- 
tures  of  truth;  but  :o  all  the  conceptions  that  we  can  form 
of  the  reason,  nature,  and  fitness  of  things.  So  that,  if  a 
line  of  succession  could  have  been  made  out  from  the 
Apostles  to  this  day,— which  never  has  been,  or  can  be, 
done— the  bare  circumstance  of  the  vile  corruption,  that 
reigned  for  ages  in  the  church  of  Rome,  which  destroyed 
all  her  claim  to  true  Christianity,  and  constituted  her  in 
the  full  scriptural  sense,  anti-christ ;  would  perfectly  des- 
troy all  claim  to  divine  authority  through  her. 

To  place  therefore  our  principal  dependence  for  divine 
authority,  the  existence  of  the  church,  and  true  ministry, 
on  a  supposed  succession  of  Catholic  Bishops,  is  to  be  guil- 
ty of  one  of  the  most  palpable  and  dangerous  errors  into 
which  we  can  possibly  fall.  It  is  to  trust  in  corrupt  and 
fallible  man,  instead  of  the  true  and  living  God  ;  to  take 
the  shadow  for  the  substance  ;  Peter  and  his  successors, 
for  the  rock  on  which  the  church  of  Christ  is  built,  instead 
of  Christ  himself,  who,  is  the  rock  of  ages,  and  the  only 
true  and  solid  foundation  of  all  truth,  and  righteousness. 
This  is  the  dreadful  rock  on  which  the  Papist,  and  thou- 
sands of  others  have  split,  and  sunk  to  corruption  and  rui«. 


172  CORRUPTIONS  OF  THE 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  with  her  pure  doC' 
trine,  her  excellent  prayer  book,  and  her  holy  orders,  al- 
though not  more  holy  or  scriptural,  than  many  of  the  rest 
of  her  sister  churches,  is  good,  and  we  can  but  desire  her 
prosperity.  But  while  she  wraps  herself  up,  in  her  suppos- 
ed superior  dignity,  from  her  fancied  dream  of  succession, 
— which,  even  if  made  out,  would  be  the  most  filthy,  and 
disgusting  thing,  ever  claimed  by  any  branch  of  the  church 
while  she  keeps  her  cannon  loaded  with  the  doctrine  of  suc- 
cession, and  pointed  at  and  thundering  anathemas  on  all  the 
rest  of  her  sister  churches,  with  an  intention  to  destroy 
their  very  existence;  while  she  so  selfishly  closes  her  doora 
and  communion  against  all  others  because  of  her  sup- 
posed superior  excellence;  she  never  can  prosper  to  any 
great  extent,  in'  this  enlightened  age  and,  country.  It  is 
impossible  that  an  enlightened  and  well  educated  people, 
should  be  deluded  by  pretensions  to  succession,  or  carried 
away  by  outward  parade,  pomp  and  show,  in  religious  mat- 
ters ;  seeing  they  are  so  contrary  to  the  pure  and  lovely 
simplicity  of  the  gospel,  that  ever  should  be  maintained 
by  the  church  of  Christ. 

Would  she  lay  aside  her  self-deceiving  and  improper 
claim  to  succession,  her  arrogant  boast  of  superior  excel- 
lence, by  which  she  shuts  out  from  her  altar  and  sacraments 
the  ministers  and  members  of  her  sister  churches,  who  have 
as  much  claim  to  Apostolic  Succession  as  ever  she  can 
have  ;  and  would  she  appear,  openly  and  confessedly,  on 
the  ground  that  she  does  truly  occupy — that  of  Protestant 
from  the  old  Mother  of  Harlots,  the  Church  of  Rome — and 
embrace  in  her  arms  of  Christian  affection  all  her  sister 
churches  ;  and,  in  her  own  proper  way,  labour  zealously 
for  the  promotion  of  peace  and  goodwill  amongst  men,  and 
the  advancement  and  glory  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  upon 
earth,  she  would  be  hailed  by  thousands,  with  brotherly  af- 


CHURCH  OF  ROME  173 

fection,  and  with  an  ardent  desire  for  her  prosperity.  But, 
as  she  now  stands,  she  cuts  off  all  Christian  communion 
with  others,  and  stands,  solitary  and  alone  in  her  own  sup- 
posed glory. 

And  it  is  truly  lamentable,  that  she  not  only  appears  as 
one  of  the  most  selfish  and    bigoted  churches  in  Christen- 
dom, but  disgraces  herself  in  the  claim  that  she  makes  to 
an  alliance  with  the  Catholic  Church,  in  tracing  the  Succes- 
sion through  her;  thereby  acknowleding  her,as  a  true  church 
with  all   her   filth  and  abominations,    which  constituted 
her  truly  <27i^i-christian,    instead  of  christian.      Can  there 
be  a  more  impure,   and  filthy  channel  than  that,  through 
which  the   Protestant  Episcopal    Church  would  claim  her 
boasted   succession  ?     According  to  her  views  it   had   to 
pass  through  the  hands  of  simonians,  infidels,    idolaters 
and  murderers,  adulterers,  fornicators,  and  sodomites ;  if 
the  history  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  penned  by  some 
of  the  wisest  and  best  of  men,  and  some  of  her  acknowl- 
edged friends,   can  be  relied  on.     What  can   be  worse,  or 
more  abominable,  than  the  church  of  Rome  has  appeared 
to  be  for  hundreds  of  years  ?  without  even  one  bright  and 
healthful  spot,  to  relieve  the  dreadful  gloom.     And  this  is 
the  source  of  divine  authority;  the  line  of  succession  ;  the 
one  thing  essential  to  the  existence  of  the  church  of  Christ, 
in  the  estimation  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  ;  and 
the  source  of  her  high  claim  to  superior  excellence  !  Truly 
she  has  departed  from  the  views  of  her  predecessors,  who 
cast  off  as  abominable  and  filthy,  the  church  of  Rome;  and 
den-Qunced  her  as  the  old  harlot,  and  the  most  filthy  of  har- 
lots.   Most  certainly  could  she    make  her  claim  good,  no 
one  of  her  sister  churches   would  envy  her   in   her  dignity 
and  glory,  derived  from  such  a  source  as  this. 

But,   fortunately  for  the  Protestant   Episcopal    Church, 
she  cannot  prove  her  relationship  to  the  Church  of  Rome. 


174  CORRUPTIONS  OF  THE 

She  did  not  receive  her  ordination  through  or  from  her ;  anJ 
has  not,  in  this  respect,  any  connection  with  her;  which  is 
greatly  to  her  advantage.  Her  ordination  is  better  than  any 
thing  she  could  give ;  as  it  came  through  the  hands  of  more 
pure  and  excellent  men.  Her  doctrines  are  more  excellent 
and  scriptural,  as  being  separated  from  the  errors  and  su' 
perstitions  of  Popery  ;  and  her  worship  more  simple  and 
evangelical.  And,  hence  it  may  be  said  of  her,  in  truth, 
that,  apart  from  the  errors  of  Apostolic  Succession,  she  is, 
in  herself,  one  of  the  most  excellent  branches  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church ;  and  wouFd  she  live  up  to  her  most  excellent 
doctiines  and  discipline,  would  not  only  prosper,  but  be- 
come, with  the  rest  of  the  evangelical  churches,  the  praise 
of  the  whole  earth. 

It  is  not,  therefore,  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
as  a  distinct  branch  of  the  Church,  that  there  should  be  any 
contention;  but  against  the  old  Popish  delusion  of  Suc- 
cession, held  by  her,  and  which,  undoubtedly,  paralyzes  her 
efforts  and  prevents  her  prosperity.  The  delusive  clamor 
was  at  first  raised  by  the  Papists,  to  sustain  them  in  their 
claim  to^Apostolic  authority  ;  when  it  was  notorious  they 
had  no  claim  to  true  piety ;  and,  moreover,  to  alarm  the 
fears,  and  prevent,  as  much  as  possible,  the  progress  and 
piosperity  of  Protestants  in  the  work  of  reformation. 

It  is  wonderful  that  they  have  persisted  so  long  in  propa- 
gating the  doctrine  of  uninterrupted  Apostolic  Succession  i 
seeing  it  is  notorious  to  all  the  world  that  it  is  false.  They 
know  that  they  do  not  agree  among  themselves,  as  to  who 
was  the  immediate  successor  of  Peter ;  and  consequently 
they  have  their  different  calenders.  This — with  the  testi- 
mony of  Eusebius,  the  first  and  father  of  Church  history, 
that  it  was  impossible,  even  in  the  third  century,  to  make 
out  who  were  the  true  and  immediate  successors  of  the 
Apostles— is  sufficient  to  show  that  the  succession  was  lost 


CHURCH   OF   ROME  175 

in  the  very  commencement;  and  that,  of  course  the  Catholic 
Church  can  lay  no  special  claim  to  it  more  than  others 

And  this  truth  is  strengthened  by  the  fact,  that  there  have 
been  many  breaches,  in  their  line  of  Popes  and  Bishops; 
sometimes  two,  or  more,  administering  the  supreme  go- 
vernment of  the  Church  at  once;  each  claiming,  to  the 
confusion  and  distraction  of  the  whole  Church,  to  be  the 
true  Pope.  At  other  times,  there  was  no  Pope  at  all ;  or 
the  Church  was  deluded  and  governed  by  a  lewd  woman  ; 
who  had,  by  cunning  and  artifice,  made  her  way  into  the 
papal  chair;  either  of  which  was  sufficient  to  destroy  the 
idea  of  uninterrupted  Apostolic  Succession. 

Moreover,  the  fiendish,  anti-Christian  spirit,  manifested 
bv  the  Papists,  in  their  horrid  crusades,  their  bloody  inqui- 
sitions, and  their  merciless  persecutions  of  the  Waldenses 
and  Albigenses,  and  others  in  which  thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands,  of  the  most  pious  and  devoted  of  God  s  chil- 
dren were  destroyed;  prove,  most  conclusively,  that  they 
could  not  have  the  least  claim  whatever,  to  the  peaceful  and 
holy  religion  of  the  Saviour:  and  consequently,  no  proper 
pretensions  to  uninterrupted  Apostolic  Succession. 

Any  one  of  the  above  arguments,  apart  from  all  the  rest, 
would  be  sufficient  to  settle  the  question  of  direct  Apostolic 
Succession.  But  when  we  take  them  together,  they  are 
more  than  a  thiee-fold  cord,  which  cannot  be  broken.  They 
must  necessarily  establish,  in  the  candid  and  unprejudiced 
mind,  that  the  doctrine  of  uninterrupted  Apostolic  Succes- 
sion is  a  base  fabrication,  got  up  in  ignorance,  or  vile  hy- 
pocricy,bythe  Roman  Church,  in  her  darkest  ages;  and 
that  it  has  no  claim  whatever,  to  foundation  m  truth. 

This  claim  of  Apostolic  succession  in  the  church  of  Eng- 
land is  comparatively  of  a  recent  date;  gotten  up,  no 
doubt  for  reasons  similar  to  those,  that  first  origmated  that 
doctrine  in  the  Roman  church,  viz.  a  disposition  to  mam- 


176  CORRUPTIONS  OF  THE 

tain  her  supposed  superior  dignity,  and  to  alarm  the  fears 
of  such  as  had  deserted  her.  But  any  one  may  see,  how 
little  it  becomes  her  to  do  so ;  when  her  first  and  noble  re- 
formers, to  whom  they  owe  every  thing,  for  their  establish- 
ment, made  no  such  vain  pretensions,  but  dispised,  cast  of 
and  rejected  the  church  of  Rome,  as  the  most  abominable 
and  filthy  of  all  things,  the  Mother  of  Harlots  and  abomina- 
tions. 

But,  as  their  claim  cannot  be  maintained  in  truth,  she 
could  not  be  expected,  to  impart  the  supposed  uninterrupt- 
ed Apostolic  succession  through  any  authority  received  by 
her  from  the  Catholic  church.  The  claim  therefore  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church  to  this  succession,  from  the 
church  of  England,  through  the  Catholic  church,  is  alto- 
gether without  so  much  as  a  shadow  of  foundation  in  truth. 
And  as  this  is  established  in  the  foregoing  pages  beyond 
successful  contradiction,  it  leaves  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal church  in  company,  and  in  perfect  keeping,  with  her 
sister  churches,  of  ** recent  date,  and  human  invention,  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Chapman's  own  views. 

But  that  Dr,  Chapman's  views  are  incorrect ;  and  that  the 
churches  so  invidiously  spoken  of,  are  not  of  *'  recent  date 
and  human  invention,"  we  intend  to  show  in  the  succeeding 
pages,  by  bringing  into  view  the  true  church  of  Christ,  her 
true  ministers  and  true  succession.  And  this  we  hope  to 
do,  to  the  honour  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  as 
well  as  the  rest  of  our  beloved  Zion  ;  for  our  contention  is 
not  with  her  as  a  branch  of  the  church,  but  with  the  des- 
tructive errors  into  which  some  of  her  ministers  have  fal- 
len ;  errors,  which  threaten  destruction  to  her  very  exis- 
tence. For,  could  they  succeed  in  establishing  the  doctrine 
of  Apostolic  succession,  she  must  of  course,  with  her  very 
name,  be  swallowed  up  by,  or  lost  forever  in,  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  which  is  confessed  to  be  the  fountain,  or 


CORRUPTION  &C  177 

source  of  Apostolic  authority.  Rut  fortunately  for  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  church,  as  well  as  others,  all  this  is  er- 
roneous. The  Catholic  church  has  no  such  claim  in  truth. 
The  Church  of  England  has  received— ever  since  the  days  of 
the  Reformation — her  ecclesiastical  authority,  not  from 
the  Pope  ;  but  from  civil  authority  ;  the  King  being  consti- 
tuted head  of  the  Church,  from  whom  all  authority  flows. 
Consequently,  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  can  have  no 
higher  authority  than  the  fountain  from  which  she  received 
it ;  and  instead  of  this  being  against  her,  as  some  would 
suppose,  it  is  her  glory  and  chief  crown  of  rejoicing. 
23 


178  THE  TRUE  CHURCH 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"the    true  Church — the  true  Ministry—- and  the  true  Succession. 

The  true  church  of  God,  which  he  ^'purchased  with  his 
own  blood,"  is  divided  into  two  parts  ;  the  church  mili- 
tant on  earth,  and  the  church  triumphant  in  heaven.  The 
visible  boundary  of  the  church  below,  in  the  state  of  trial, 
has  in  it,  some  of  almost  all  kinds,  or  classes  of  men  ;  the 
truly  pious,  the  mere  moralist,  the  hypocrite,  and  the  luke 
v^arm  professor:  and  even  some,  who  are  openly  rebellious 
against  God.  This  was  so  under  the  Mosaic  dispensation, 
embracing  all  that  were  **  called  Israel  ;"  and  it  is  so  still, 
— embracing  all  that  are  called  christians — although  under 
the  pure,  and  perfect  gospel  dispensation,  the  last  and 
best,  that  ever  was,  or  ever  will  be,  given  to  man,  there 
are  still,  as  there  formerly  were,  wise  and  foolish  virgins, 
who,  go  forth  professedly  to  meet  the  bridegroom  at  his 
coming;  but  the  foolish  have  taken  no  oil  with  them,  in 
their  vessels,  and  consequently  cannot  partake  of  the  mar- 
riage feast. 

Again.  It  may  be  properly  said,  the  church  in  this 
howling  wilderness,  is  subdivided,  into  many  sects,  and  de- 
nominations ;  who,  while  they  do  in  some  sort,  and  in 
some  degree,  provoke  each  other  to  love  and  good  works, 
have  upon  the  whole,  in  every  age,  indulged  too  much  in  a 
narrow,  envious,  and  bigoted  spirit,  thereby  disgracing 
themselves,  and  Christianity  which  they  profess  ;  hindering 
the  progress  of  the  wheels  of  Zion  ;  and  opening  wide  the 
foul   mouth  of  subtle  and  dark  infidelity.     By  this,  hun» 


THE  TRUE  CHURCH  179 

dreds,  have  not  only  been  kept  out  of  the  church,  but  have 
been  kept  in  sin  ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared,  plunged  into  ev- 
erlasting despair,  and  misery.  Indeed,  the  blind  bigotry 
of  too  many  in  the  visible  church,  that  has  closed  the 
doors,  the  altar,  and  communion  of  our  much  beloved  Zion, 
against  many  of  the  best  of  God's  dear  children  ,  thus  say- 
ing, **  stand  by,  we  are  more  holy  than  thou,"  has  led  to 
so  much  bitterness,  strife,  and  contention,  that  many  have 
had  iheir  reputation  and  lives  destroyed,  thereby.  And, 
truly,  it  may  be  said,  this  has  done  more  harm  in  the  chris- 
tian world,  and  to  the  best  of  causes,  than  any  other  inven- 
tion of  the  enemy  of  souls.  Satan  may  appear  as  a  ser- 
pent, as  a  roaring  lion  ;  or,  to  suit  his  malicious  purpo- 
ses, may  assume  the  fo/m  of  a  hateful  toad.  But,  in  these 
cases,  he  is  seen  and  known;  and  is  never  so  dangerous, 
as  when  he  hides  his  diabolical  purposes,  under  the  appear- 
ance  of  an  angel  of  light.  When  he  thus  comes,  and  intro- 
duces himself  into  the  church,  he  manifests  his  fiery  zeal 
— as  he  would  have  it  understood — for  Christ's  sake, 
against  men,  because  they  cannot  see  with  other  men's 
eyes,  or  hear  with  their  ears.  Then  it  is  that  he  finds  it  in 
his  power,  to  destroy,  in  many  sincere,  but  now  fearfully 
deluded  souls,  the  purest  principles  of  religion  ;  principles 
that  had  been  implented  in  their  hearts,  which  if  cherished 
and  properly  cultivated,  would  have  brought  forth  much 
fruit  to  perfection ;  and  instead  thereof,  inflaming  in  them 
the  worst  of  passions,  to  the  great  injury  of  the  church  of 
Christ.  Oh,  how  much  lamentation  has  it  caused,  and 
how  many  tears  have  been  shed,  by  the  sincere  people  of 
God  on  this  account,  surely  eternity  alone  can  tell. 

But,  although,  we  have,  with  deep  regiet,  thus  to  confess, 
when  we  take  into  view  the  whole  of  the  church  militant, 
her  many  imperfections ;  yet  we  rejoice  to  have  it  in  our 
power  to  say,  Truly,  there  are  nevertheless  in  the  midst  of 


180  THE  TRUE  CHURCH 

her,  many  such  as  may  be  properly  denominated,  the  true 
saints  of  God,  and  sincere  disciples  of  the  holy  Redeemer. 
And  these  in  the  sight  of  God,  properly  compose  the  true 
church  of  Christ  upon  earth  ;  who  after  letting  their  light 
shine  among  men,  or  having  been  the  light  of  the  world, 
will  be  hailed  in  the  day  of  eternity,  with,  "Come  ye  bles- 
sed of  my  father  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world." 

These,  the  true  and  genuine  Christians,  are  known  first, 
by  their  true  and  genuine  humility.  They  have  discover. 
ed  through  the  preventing  grace  of  God,  the  influence  of 
the  holy  spirit  upon  their  hearts,  their  sinful  and  miserable 
condition  through  the  fall,  and  their  need  of  a  Saviour. 
They  have  therefore,  humbly  confessed,  and  deeply  deplor- 
ed, their  sins  and  transgressions,  with  a  broken  and  con- 
trite heart.  The  language  of  their  humbled  spirits,  has 
been  in  accordance  with'the  Apostle  Paul,  when  he  said,  in 
personifying  the  true  penitent  sinner,"0  wretched  man  that 
I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death?" 
With  prayers,  and  tears,  and  bitter  lamentations,  they  have 
fled  to  Christ  for  refuge,  and  laid  hold  on  him,  who  is  the 
hope  set  before  them.  Hence,  as  true,  humble,  penitent  be- 
lievers, they  have  found  mercy  in  the  forgiveiiess  of  their 
sins;  and  as  returning  prodigals,  they  have  been  received 
by  their  father  and  God  of  all  grace.  The  robe  of  salva- 
tion has  been  put  upon  them  ;  the  ring  that  is  the  pledge 
of  divine  mercy;  and  they  have  been  shod  with  the  pre- 
paration of  the  gospel  of  peace ;  the  fatted  calf  has  been 
killed,  and  they  have  been  made  to  "eat,  and  be  merry." 
They  understand  now  from  blessed  experience,  what  the  di- 
vine Saviour  meant  when  he  said,  '-'Blessed  are  they  that 
mourn  for  they  shall  be  comforted.  Blessed  are  the  meek, 
for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth." 
Now,  they  have  a  knowledge  of  salvation,  by  the  remis- 


THE  TRUE  CHURCH  181 

sion  of  their  sins,  and  as  they  are  born  from  above,  by  the 
holy  spirit,  or  born  of  God,  they  have  the  v^^ilness  in  thenn- 
selves;  "the  Spiiit  itself  bearing  witness,  v^^ith  their  spirits, 
that  they  are  the  children  of  God,"  and  heirs  of  an  endless 
life. 

This  grace  that  they  have  received,  that  enables  them  to 
rejoice,  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God,  teaches  them  still  to 
live  for  God  ;  and  to  walk  humbly  before  him.  By  it  they 
clearly  perceive,  they  have  no  good  of  their  own;  they  have 
no  merit,  no  righteousness,  by  which  they  could  claim  the 
favour  of  God.  All  they  have,  they  have  received  of  God; 
and  if  they  are  saved  at  last,  it  will  be  by  the  mere  mercy 
and  goodness  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  that,  the  top- 
stone  of  their  salvation,  if  brought  up  at  all,  must  be 
brought  up  shouting,  "grace,  grace, unto  it."  Truly,  it  may 
be  understood,  that  humility  and  meekness  are  amongst  the 
most  striking,  prominent,  and  essential  characteristics,  of 
the  true  members  of  the  church  of  God. 

These  are  known,  secondly,  by  their  true,  evangelical, 
faith  ;  a  faith  that  is  not  only  the  assent  of  the  understand- 
ing  to  the  divine  truth,  setting  forth  Christ  as  the  true  Mes- 
siah, or  Saviour  of  lost  sinners,  and  a  submission  of  the 
wilL  to  be  governed  by  Christ,  as  our  proper  Lord  and  Mas- 
ter. But  it  is,  also,  a  firm  reliance  upon  -him,  and  him 
alone,  for  life  and  salvation;  a  faith  that  takes  God  at  his 
word,  and  receives  all  that  he  hath  said.  St.  Paul,  under 
Divine  inspiration,  beautifully  describes  it  as  the  "  substance 
of  things  hoped  for,  and  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen." 

It  was  this  kind  of  faith  which  Abel  exercised,  when  he 
oiTered  a  more  excellent  saciifice  than  (>ain  ,  and  Abraham, 
when  he  offered  up  Isaac,  his  beloved  son,  and  thereby  ob' 
tained  the  exalted  name  of  the  father  of  the  faithful  and 
friend  of  God.  It  was  this,  too,  that  Moses,  the  meek  man 
of  God,  exercised,  when  he  "  refused  to  be  called  the  son 


182  THE     TRUE    CHURCH 

of  Pharaoh's  daughter;  choosing  rather  to  suffer  affliction 
with  the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin 
for  a  season;  esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ,  greater 
riches  than  all  the  treasures  of  Egypt;  for  he  had  respect  to 
the  recompense  of  the  reward."  Isaac  and  Jacob,  Daniel, 
when  in  the  lion's  den,  and  the  three  Hebrew  children,  who, 
aft^r  being  cast  into  the  burning  fiery  furnace,  that  was 
heated  seven  times  hotter  than  it  was  wont,  came  out 
without  so  much  as  the  smell  of  fire  on  their  garments  ; 
with  many  more  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  saints,  "of 
whom  the  world  was  not  worthy,"  and  of  whom  it  is  not 
now  necessary  that  we  should  ""particularly  speak  ;  all  exer- 
cised, lived,  and  died,  in  the  triumphs  of  this  living  faith. 
That  faith,  that  is  of  the  operation  of  God,  knows  no  diffi- 
culties or  impossibilities  with  God  ;  that  takes  no  denial, 
but  humbly  and  perfectly  relies  upon  him  for  the  fulfilment 
of  his  every  promise  ;  and,  in  all  this,  they  did  not,  at  any 
time,  find  themselves  disappointed.  For,  while  it  sweetly 
works  by  love,  it  also  purifies  the  heart,  and  thus  prepares 
the  soul  for  that  world  where  faith  shall  be  lost  in  sight,  and 
"hope  in  full  fruition  die."  This,  indeed,  is  an  essential 
feature  in  the  true  saint  of  God;  as  is  evident  from  Divine 
Revelation,  which  has  said  the  "just  shall  live  by  faith;'* 
and,  "Without  faith,  it  is  impossible  to  please  God." 

■  These  are  known,  thirdly,  by  their  love  to  God,  his  cause, 
his  people,  and  all  mankind.  It  was  not  so  with  them  in 
former  days,  when,  under  the  influence  of  the  carnal  mind, 
which  is  "enmity  against  God,  not  subject  to  his  law,  nei- 
ther indeed  can  be."  Then  they  were  carnal,  and  sold  un- 
der sin,  and  consequently  hated  the  ways  of  God.  But 
now  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts,  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  given  unto  them  ;  they  are  enabled  to  keep  the 
first,  great,  commandment,  which  is,  to  love  God  with  all 
the  heart,  soul,  mind,  and  strength.     This  is  not  a  feigned 


THE   TRUE  CHURCH  183 

or  an  imaginary  matter  with  them  :  for  they  feel  and  know, 
that  they    "  love  him,  because  he  has  first  loved"   them 
His  cause  is  now  dear  to  their  hearts  ;  and  nothing  so  much 
delights  them,  as  to  see  the  prosperity  of  the  Redeemei's 
kingdom.     Hence,  their  constant  prayer  is,  "  0  Loid  levive 
thy  work!"      And  while  they  keep  the  first,  great,  com- 
mandment, they  are  not  unmindful  of  the  new  one,  to  "love 
one  another;"  and  hence  it  is,  they  also  sincerely  love  the 
people  of  God,  because  they  are  his  people,    no   matter 
where  they  find  them,  or  of  what  denomination  they  may 
be.     With  them  they  intend  to  live,  and  with  therh  they  in- 
tend to  die;  and  where  they  are  buried,  they  intend  to  be 
buried  also.     Their  gracious  Saviour,  immediately  before 
his  sufferings  upon  the  cross,  as  they  well  know,  said  unto 
his  disciples.  "  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that 
ye  love  one  another  ;  as  I  have  loved  you,  so  love  ye  one 
another."    This  commandment,  newly  introduced,  in  this 
form,  into  the  family  of  Christ,  implies  a  peculiar  family- 
feeling  or  affection  ;  and  can  only  be  felt  and  exercised,  by 
the  members  of  his  mystical  body.     This  holy  command- 
ment is  so  extensive  in  its  bearing,  that  it  is  to  extend  to 
the  lowest  service ;  even,  if  necessary,   to  the  washing  of 
each  other's  feet,  to  every  member  and  branch  of  the  fam- 
ily ;  and  has  no  less  boundary  than  his  love  to  his  people. 
Indeed,  this  is  given  as  a  distinguishing  mark,  by  which  the 
true  Church  is  known;  for  Christ  immediately  added  :  "By 
this  shall  all  men  know    that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye 
have  love  one  to  another."     And  while  they  joyfully  keep 
these  precious  commandments,  they  find  they  not  only  have 
fellowship  one  with  another,  but  also  with  the   "  Father, 
and  the  Son."    The  Holy  Bible,  private,  family,  and  public^ 
prayer,   all  the   means  of  grace,  and  ordinances  of  God's 
house,  all,  all,  are  their  constant  delight.     Tfiey  cheerfully 
deny  themselves  of  all  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  take  up 


184  THE   TRUE   CHURCH 

their  cross  daily,  and  follow  their  Lord  and  Master  through 
evil  as  well  as  good  report.  Hence,  in  keeping  ihe  new, 
as  well  as  the  old,  connnandment,  ihey  not  only  let  their 
light  shine  lo  all  around  them,  and  thereby  show  to  the' 
world  that  there  is  a  reality  in  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ;- 
and  thus  glorify  God,  in  their  bodies  and  spirits,  which  are 
his  ;  but  they  are  enabled  to  add  to  their  faith  virtue,  know- 
ledge, temperance,  and  every  Christian  grace  essential  ta 
their  perfection  in  the  divine  life.  As  the  humble  and  de- 
vout children  of  God,  while  they  love  God  supremely,  and^ 
in  keeping  the  new  commandment,  indulge  towaids  the 
people  of  God  a  special  brotherly  love  or  family  feeling, 
that  they  can  entertain  for  no  other;  they  are  not  unmindful 
of  the  great  commandment  towards  all  mankind. 

They  know  God  hath  said,  *'Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself."      In  that  charity,  or  love,  thatthinketh  no  evil, 
thathopeth  all  things  and  endureth  all  things,  they  embrace 
.all  mankind,  even   their   bitterest  enemies.     And  hence, 
they  dare  not  say  or  do  any  thing  by  which  (heir  neighbor 
can  be  injured.     They  dare  not  indulge  in  whispering,  back- 
biting, or  slandering,  any  more  than  in  taking  vengeanecr 
by  using  violence  against  their  neighbors.    They  remember 
God  hath  said,   "vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith  the 
Lord."    And,  as  they  dare  not  injure  their  neighbor,  in  per- 
son, character,  or  property,  neither  can  they  neglect  to  feed 
ihe  hungry,  clothe  the  naked,  visit  the  sick  and  those  that 
are  in  prison,  or  to  do  good  to  all  men,  with  the  ability  God 
hath  given  them.      Their  charity   prompts  them   to  this, 
They  know,  moreover,  that  it  is  the  best  expression  or  proof 
they  can  give  of  their  Christian  faith  and  love ;  and  that  the 
Divine  Master  will,  in  the  day  of  eternity,  when  he  shall 
congregate  all  worlds  before  him,  and  sit  in  judgment  upon 
all  men:  make  this  the  test  of  their  true  discipleship  ;  or  of 
Ihe  divinity  and  genuineness  of  their  faith  in,  and  love  to, 


THE  TRUE  CHURCH  185 

him.    In  the  presence  of  angels  and  men  he  will  then  say : 
*'  Come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you,  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.  I  was  an 
hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave 
me  drink,  I  was  a  stranger  and  ye  took  me  in ;  naked  and 
ye  clothed  me."     And  when  the  righteous,  in  their  humil- 
ity, shall  answer  and  say,  "  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hun- 
gered,  or  thirsty,   or  a  stranger,   or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in 
prison,  and  did  minister  unto  thee  ?"    Then  shall  the  King 
answer  and  say  unto  them:  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  inasmuch 
as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  breth- 
ren, ye  have  done  it  unto  me;"  "enter  thou  into  the  joys  of 
thy  Lord."     And  here  it  is  to  be  observed,  that  the  Saviour 
would  thus  set  forth  the  striking  and  interesting  truth,  that 
he  intends,  in  the  day  of  God  Almighty,  when  the  secrets 
of  all  hearts  shall  be  disclosed,  and  each  one  receive  ac- 
cording as  his  works  have  been,  to  make  the  expressions  of 
our  brotherly  love,  and  christian  charity,  not  only  the  princi- 
pal test  of  the  sincerity,  and  genuineness  of  our  faith  in  and 
love  to  him;  but  also,  the  ground  on  which  he  will  award  to 
the  faithful,  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  that  they  will  be  esteemed  by 
him,  as  meritorious,  but  as  proof  of  improvement  made, 
on  the  grace  that  was  given  them;  and  thus  graciously  and 
faithfully  to  fulfil  his  own  promise,  "Unto  every  one 
that  hath" — that  is  by  improvement — "shall  be  given,and  he 
shall  have  abundance."  How  careful  then  should  every 
christian  be,  to  be  found  continually,  in  the  work  of  faith 
and  labour  of  love,  and  thus  to  lay  up  a  good  foundation 
against  the  time  to  come.  The  faithfulness  of  his  Lord  he 
cannot  doubt ;  for  in  so  far  as  he  has  tried  him,  he  has 
found  him  true  to  his  word.  And  hence,  he  knows  from 
the  experience  of  divine  grace  and  mercy,  he  has  not  fol- 
lowed a  cunningly  devised  fable,  but  a  true  and  gracious 
24 


186  THE  TRUE  CHURCH 

Redeemer.  How  encouraging  then  aie  all  his  precious 
promises  made  to  us,  that  we  may  not  only  be  delivered 
from  all  the  corruptions  that  are  in  the  world  through  lust ; 
but  that  "we  may  be  made  the  happy  partakers  of  the  di- 
vine nature;"  here,  and  thus,  qualified  for  the  enjoyment 
of  the  inheritance  that  it  is  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and 
that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  for  all  the  faithful. 
Indeed,  the  heart  leaps  for  joy,  while  it  knows  assuredly 
that  it  is  true,  as  it  is  written,  "Faithful  is  he  who  hath 
called  you  ;  who  also  will  do  it." 

Hence,  fourthly,  the  true  disciples  of  Christ  are  known, 
by  their,  "  good  hope  through  grace."     We  know  there  is 
a  bad  or  false  hope;  such  as   the  hope  of  the  hypocrite 
which  shall  perish:  and  the  hope  of  the  woi Idling,  that  ma- 
keth   ashamed,  because  of  its   false  foundation.     But  the 
hope  of  the  Christain  has   its  foundation   in  the   abundant 
mercy  of  God;  that  mercy  and  loving  kindness  exhibited, 
in  the  gift,  life,  sufferings  and  death,  of  his  only  begotten 
Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour.     In  his  blood,  and  sweat,  his 
agony,  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  and  on  Calvary ;  we 
have  the   greatest  expression,   of  divine  compassion  and 
love,   towards   guilty   man,  that   could  have  been  possibly 
given.     And  as  we  have  received,  from  the  God  of  all  grace 
and  consolation,  unmerited  and  unsought,  in  the  midst  of 
our  difficulties  and  guilt,  and  consequently  deserving  noth- 
ing but  banishment  from  God,  and  the  glory  of  his  power ; 
the  greatest  gift   that  heaven   could  bestow,  in  which  we 
find  included  a  provision,  and  offer  of  free  and  full  pardon, 
present,  full,   and  eternal   salvation,  to  all  mankind  ;  the 
chief  of  sinners  not  excepted.     The  true  christian  therefore 
.  cannot  doubt,  for  a  moment,  the  fulfilment  of  all  God's  gra- 
cious promises  ;  and  at  once  fixes  his  blessed  hope  on  the 
solid  foundation   of  the  mercy  and  goodness  of  God,  in 
Christ  Jesus, — which  is  to  him  as  a  place  of  broad  waters, 
or  as  an  ocean  without  bottom  or  shore. 


THE  TRUE  CHURCH  187 

This,  the  christian's  hope,  is  distinguished  secondly,  by- 
its  being  a  "lively"  or  a  living  "hope."  It  is  properly  so 
called,  because  it  originated  with,  and  may  be  said  to  be  a 
part  of,  that  spiritual  life,  received  by  faith  in  the  soul, 
when  first  adopted  into  the  family  of  Christ.  Previous  to 
this,  it  was  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins  ;  but  now,  it  has  a 
new  life  unto  righteousness.  And  the  spirit  of  God  bears 
witness  to  this  gracious  state,  by  imparting  peace,  joy,  and 
lave,  with  a  lively  hope,  which  is  as  an  anchor  to  the  soul, 
both  sure  and  steadfast.  And  never  can  this  glorious  hope 
be  entertained  or  enjoyed,  by  any  but  the  living  christian;' 
hence,  it  is  properly  called  a  lively  hope. 

Again.  This  hope,  is  propeily  called  a  lively  hope,  be- 
cause it  makes  the  soul  where  it  resides,  joyful,  lively  and 
happy. — It  is  true,  some  men  have  supposed,  that  in  order 
to  be  christians,  we  must  be  always  gloomy,  austere,  and 
bowed  down  in  our  spirits,  so  as  hardly  to  wear  a  cheerful 
smile  ;  or  that  it  was  necessary  to  retire  from  human  socie- 
ty into  some  wilderness,  or  hermit's  cell.  But  nothing  can 
be  more  contrary  to  the  genius  of  the  holy  religion  of  C  hrist, 
that  inspires  a  well  grounded  hope  of  immortality.  True 
it  is, that  we  dare  not,  as  christians,  indulge  trifling,  or  lev- 
ity, or  "jesting,  which  is  not  convenient."  Yet,  who  can 
be  so  happy  as  the  true  christian  ?  whose  heart  is  buoyant 
with  the  living  hope.  His  joy  is  that  of  the  Holy  Ghost; 
and  it  is  his  privilege  to  rejoice  ever  moie,  as  well  pray 
without  ceasing,  and  in  every  thing  give  thanks."  And 
this  must  have  been  the  view  of  the  Apostle,  when  he  said 
to  his  fellow  christians,  **  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always;  and 
again  I  say  rejoice." 

Again.  The  christian's  hope  is  properly  called  a  lively 
hope,  because  it  depends  for  its  continuance  and  growth, 
on  the  continuance  and  growth  of  the  spiritual  life  in  the 
soul.     Should  this  be  lost,  by  neglect  of  duty,  or  by  falling 


188  THE  TRUE  CHURCH 

iato  temptation,  as  indeed,  according  to  the  scriptures,  has 
been,  and  may  be  done  again ;  we  are  no  longer  properly 
speaking  christians;  for,  "if  we  have  not  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  we  are  none  of  his."  Then,  as  our  spiritual  life 
dies,  hope  dies  also ;  and  doubt,  if  not  despair,  takes  its 
place.  But  on  the  other  hand,  when  we  continue  devoted 
and  faithful  to  God,  we  continue  to  flourish  in  the  divine 
life;  and  as  we  grow  in  years,  we  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Peace, 
joy  and  love,  and  this  glorious  hope,  with  every  other  chris- 
tian grace,  and  virtue,  are  perfected  ;  and  we  are  thereby 
fitted  for  the  full  fruition  of  God,  or  the  enjoyment  of  eter- 
nal life. 

The  true  Christians — who  alone  compose  the  true  Church 
of  Christ  in  every  age — are  distinguished  fifthly,  by  their  zeal 
for  God;  not  that  blind,  fiery,  or  bigoted  spirit,  falsely 
called  zeal,  that  has  been  cherished  by  too  many  (in  every 
age  of  the  world)  calling  themselves  Christians,  that  can  lie 
and  slander,  whisper  and  backbite — and  all,  pretendedly, 
for  Christ's  sake — or  that  can  institute  bloody  inquisitions, 
the  very  ante-chamber  of  hell,  and  call  them  holy ;  by 
which  they  can  only  mean,  in  truth,  that  they  are  wholly 
devoted  to  the  prince  of  darkness,  who  was  a  liar  and  mur- 
derer from  the  beginning  ;  or  that  can  send  out  crusades,  to 
torment,  rob  and  butcher,  innocent  and  pious  men  and  women 
with  their  unoffending  children,  by  thousands,  in  cold  blood 
and  in  the  most  horrid  manner ;  and  all,  pretendedly,  for  the 
promotion  of  Christianity  !  or  that  fiery,  bold,  and  bigoted, 
spirit,  that,  in  these  latter  days,  leads  many  professing  godli- 
ness, to  boast,  and  banter  to  unhallowed  conflict,  in  the 
holy  pulpit,  their  fellow  Christians  ;  which  is  only  calcula, 
ted  to  stir  up  strife,  and  produce  every  evil  word  and  work. 
Neither  is  it  that  intolerant  spirit  of  bigotry,  that  can  de- 
nounce and  anathematize — or,  as  far  as  possible,  can  un- 


THE  TRUE  CHURCH  189 

church — all  that  do  not  believe,  or  bow  down  to,  its  partic. 
ular  dogmas  !  Happily  for  us,  this  spirit  of  intolerance  is 
held  in  proper  bounds,  by  the  inimitable  constitution,  and 
good  laws,  of  this  happy  republic.  For,  were  it  let  loose, 
to  exercise  its  own  pretended  supremacy,  how  soon  would 
we  see  the  bloody  deeds  of  the  more  than  horrid  Inquisition 
acted  over  again.  But  we  may  thank  God,  that  it  is  not 
so ;  and  that  we  are  at  liberty  to  worship  Him  according  to 
our  own  conscience.  And,  as  the  children  of  our  honored 
fathers,  who  fought  and  bled  for  religious  as  well  as  civil 
liberty,  we  intend,  by  the  grace  and  help  of  the  Christian's 
God,  to  keep  it  so.  But,  to  hear  the  boasts  of  such  digni- 
taries as  are  influenced  by  this  spirit  of  bigotry,  while  Ihey 
would  bring  all  men  to  pay  them  reverence  and  tithes,  one, 
without  a  little  examination,  would  be  ready  to  conclude 
that  these  are  the  men,  and  wisdom  must  die  with  them. 
Would  to  God  !  we  could  say  in  truth,  that  this  unwhole- 
some spirit  would  die  with  them  ;  for  every  thing  of  this 
kind,  is  altogether  apart  from  that  true  Christian  zeal  which 
characterizes  the  humble  and  true  disciples  of  the  holy  Re- 
deemer. 

Their  zeal  is  tempered  with  love  ;  and  while  it  is  true, 
that  it  leads  them  earnestly  to  contend  for  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints  ;  they  do  so  neither  bitterly,  nor  re- 
vengefully. It  prompts  them  to  stand  up  for  the  truth, 
with  christian  meekness,  and  humble  boldness,  in  the 
midst  of  the  greatest  trials  to  which  they  may  be  exposed, 
and  to  count  not  their  lives  dear,  so  they  'may  win  Christ.' 
This  holy  zeal,  enables  the  children  of  God,  to  endure  hard- 
ness as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  faithfully  to  do 
and  sacrifice  whatever  may  be  necessary  for  the  glory  of 
God,  the  prosperity  and  speed  of  the  Great  Redeemer's 
Kingdom,  and  also  the  good  and  well-being  of  their  fellow- 
men.      It  is   true,  they  may  have,  through  education  or 


l90  THE     TRUE    CHURCH 

otherwise,  a  special  attachment  to  some  one  branch  of  the' 
church,  more  than  any  of  the  rest.  They  may  prefer  her 
doctrines,  discipline,  and  usages,  to  those  of  any  other  in 
their  knowledge.  But,  at  the  same  time,  they  feel  not  only 
a  tolerant  spirit  towards  all  others,  but  a  sincere  christian 
love,  and  fellowship  towards  all  men,  who  by  their  life  and 
conversation,  show  that  they  are  the  true  followers  of  the 
meek  and  lowly  Jesus.  Christians  are  their  brothers  and 
sisters,  no  matter  what  their  condition,  or  where  they  are 
found;  and  they  are  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren^- 
no  matter  to  what  branch  of  the  church  they  belong. 
Hence,  under  the  influence  of  their  well  tempered  zeal, 
they  are  anxiously  engaged  for  the  well  being  and  prosper- 
ity, of  the  whole  church.  And,  in  reference  to  such  as  are 
out  of  the  pale  of  the  church,  and  consequently  nrake  no 
claim  to  Christianity,  while  they  love  some  more  than  oth- 
ers, because  of  their  kind,  and  amiable  conduct,  yet  they 
hate  none,  but  desire,  and  ardently  pray  for,  the  salvation 
of  all ;  their  bitterest  enemies  not  excepted.  For,  indeed 
and  in  truth,  they  love  all  men  for  Christ's  sake  ;  and  their 
worst  wish  for  any  man  is,  that  God  may  make  him  parta- 
ker of  like  precious  faith  with  themselves.  Their  zeal 
then,  is  not  that  contracted,  bigoted,  or  fiery  zeal,  that 
would  trample  down  the  rights  and  privileges  of  other  men  ; 
— as  we  too  frequently  find  it  in  the  pale  of  the  visible 
church  so  called — but  it  is  an  enlightened  and  enlarged, 
and  loving  principle,  embracing  in  its  efforts  the  good  of 
all  mankind,  and  the  glory  of  God.  And  thus  it  is  that  the 
true  children  of  God,  in  their  humility,  faith,  love,  and  zeal, 
evidently  stand  forth,  as  the  light  of  the  world,  and  "  salt  of 
the  earth."  They  are  one  body,  actuated  and  enlivened  by 
one  spirit,  (the  spirit  of  Christ;)  and  they  have  but  one 
head,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself,  who  is  the  "high  Priest 
over  the  house  of  God  forever."     These  and  these  alone. 


THE   TRUE  CHURCH  191 

truiy,  and  scripturally  speaking,  wherever  found,  in  any 
and  every  age  of  the  world,  or  in  any  and  every  branch  of 
the  church,  compose  the  true  church  of  the  living  and  true 
God.  And  it  is  over  and  in  the  midst  of  this  church,  the 
good  shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls,  resides;  and  he  alone 
has  the  right  to  guide,  govern,  and  judge  it,  as  he  has  pur- 
chased it  with  his  own  blood. 


192  FALSE   MINISTRY,     &« 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

False  Ministers.     True  call  and  qualification  for  the  Ministry, 

The  Church  of  Christ  has  its  true  ministry,  as  well  as  its 
true  membership ;  and  this,  in  the  next  place,  we  intend  to 
notice. 
There  have  ever  been  false  teachers,  who  have  thrust  them- 
selves into  the  holy  calling  of  the  ministry,  for  a  piece  of 
bread  :  men-made,  or  self-made,  ministers,  who  have  always 
fleeced,  but  never  fed,  the  flock  of  Christ ;  as  there  were» 
formerly,  false  prophets  and  false  Christs,  deceiving  and 
being  deceived;  and  the  Saviour  has  told  us,  "by  their 
fruits  they  shall  be  known."  These  have  ever  been  a  dis- 
grace to  religion,  a  clog  and  curse  to  the  Church.  These 
have  done  more  to  hinder  the  spread  of  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom,  and  to  destroy  men's  souls,than  all  the  abandoned 
and  profligate  among  men  could  possibly  do.  Their  vile 
hypocrisy,  their  unhallowed  lives,  while  they  have  borne 
the  sacred  name  and  mantle  of  the  ministers  of  Christ, 
have  caused  many  unwary  souls  to  conclude  there  could  be 
no  reality  in  the  religion  taught  in  the  blessed  Bible  ;  that 
all  was  a  cheat  or  a  mere  delusion  ;  and  therefore  they  have 
neglected  their  soul's  salvation  until  it  was  eternally  too 
late.  Who  can  tell  the  doom  of  such  men,  or  the  horror 
and  depth  of  that  curse  that  awaits  them,  and  will  assuredly 
be  their  portion,  in  that  day  when  God  shall  call  all  men 
before  Him  in  judgment?  In  vain  may  they  then  say, 
"Lord,  have  we  not  eaten,  and  drank,  in*thy  presence,  and 
in  thy  name,  done  many  wonderful  works  ?  He  will  nev- 
ertheless say  unto  them,  depart  from  me  ye  workers  of  in- 
iquity, I  never  knew  you."     In  vain  may  such  deceivers, 


FALSE  MINISTRY,  &c.  193 

l)oast  of  their  ministerial  dignity,  their  mitred  heads,  and 
even  their  supposed  Apostolic  succession ;  for  their  true 
character  will  be  set  forth,  in  the  light  of  eternity,  and  shall 
be  read  plainly  by  angels  and  men.  Their  righteous  judge 
who  never  can  be  bribed,  will  judge  righteously  ;  and  con- 
sequently, will  drive  them  from  his  presence,  with,  "  de- 
part ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil 
and  his  angels."  God  hates  iniquity,  and  cannot  look  up- 
on sin  with  the  least  degree  of  allowance;  no  matter  where 
it  may  be  found.  And  if  it  be  so  hateful  in  the  profligate, 
and  abandoned  sinner,  who  never  pretends  even  to  a  pro- 
fession of  religion,  how  much  more  detestible  must  it  be, 
when  found  in  professors  of  Christianity  ?  and  yet  more  es- 
pecially in  such,  as  pretend  to  minister  in  holy  things. 
These  surely,  must  be  eternally,  the  objects  of  his  heaviest 
wrath  and  indignation. 

But  while  many  false  teachers  have  been  found  in  every 
age  of  Christianity,  and  in  almost  every  branch  of  the 
church,  sent  forth  by  the  arch  deceiver,  to  darken  the  coun- 
sel of  God,  and  as  far  as  possible,  to  prevent  the  salvation 
of  men ;  there  have  been,  from  the  beginning,  true  and  ho- 
ly men  ;  men  called  and  sent  of  God,  to  labour  in  his  vine- 
yard. These  not  only  profess,  but  also  truly  possess  the 
holy  religion  of  the  blessed  Redeemer,  in  common  with 
their  fellow  christians.  They  have  sought,  with  broken 
and  contrite  hearts,  the  pardon  of  their  sins  ;  and  by  faith, 
have  been  made  happily  acquainted  with  pardoning,  bleed- 
ing mercy,  in  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  The  kingdom 
of  God,  which  consists  of  righteousness,  peace,  and  joy,  in 
the  Holy  Ghost,  is  set  up  in  their  hearts;  and  Christ  reigns 
within  them  the  hope  of  glory. 

This  happy  experience  of  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  soul,  is  essentially  necessary  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry.     No  man  can  possibly,  in  truth,  and  with  de- 
25 


194  FALSE  MINISTRY,  &« 

sired  effect,  teach  the  pure  principles  of  the  gospel  of  Christ 
without  it.  And  hence,  this  pardoning  mercy,  this  rich 
unmerited  grace,  that  adopts  us  into  the  family  of  Christ, 
is  a  necessary  pre-requisite  to  a  divine  call  to  the  ministry; 
for  Christ  never  calls  to  this  holy  vv^ork  where  it  is  not  to 
be  found. 

This  may  be  found,  hovirever,  in  many  precious  souls, 
who  have  not  been  designed  by  the  great  head  of  the  church 
for  his  special  work;  and  hence,  while  we  have  this  grace, 
with  the  highest  assurance  of  the  divine  favour  as  christians, 
we  are  not  to  conclude  that  nothing  more  is  necessary  to 
qualify  us  for  the  holy  ministry.  For,  in  addition  to  this, 
the  Lord  increases  in  the  hearts  of  such  as  he  would  set 
apart  for  himself,  or  for  his  special  work,  his  love  which 
goes  out  after  immortal  souls,  and  becomes  as  a  fire  in 
their  bones.  He  gives  them  to  see  the  beauty  of  his  gos- 
pel, and  to  taste  and  eat  it  themselves  ;  or  he  opens  up 
their  understanding,  that  they  may  understand  the  scrip- 
tures. And  then  it  is  impressed  upon  the  mind,  by  the 
Holy  Spirit;  "Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel!"  It 
is  true  they  hear,  no  voice  with  the  outward  ear ;  but  by 
such  divine  impressions  made  upon  the  mind,  as  they  are 
not  able  in  any  wise  to  shake  off,  they  become  fully  con- 
vinced of  the  will  of  their  divine  master;  and  thereby  are 
made  willing  to  forego  all  earthly  good,  and  to  undergo  all 
labour,  suifering,  and  reproach,  for  the  gospel's  sake  ;  or  to 
count  all  things  loss,  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  Jesus  their  Lord.  Their  great  ambition  is,  that  they 
may  make  full  proof  of  their  ministry,  and  finish  their 
course  with  joy. 

That  this  divine  qualification  is  necessary,  we  may  be 
fully  persuaded,  from  the  description  given  by  St.  Paul 
himself,  of  the  essential  characteristics  of  a  true  minister  of 
Christ,    He  says :  *'A  Bishop,  then,  must  be  blameless,  the 


FALSE  MINISTRY,  &c  195 

husband  of  one  wife,  vigilant,  sober,  of  good  behaviour, 
given  to  hospitality,  apt  to  teach ; 

Not  given  to  wine,  no  striker,  not  greedy  of  filthy  lucre, 
but  patient;  not  a  brawler,  not  covetous  ; 

One  that  ruleth  well  his  own  house,  having  his  children 
in  subjection  with  all  gravity; 

For  if  a  man  know  not  how  to  rule  his  own  house,  how 
shall  he  take  care  of  the  church  of  God? 

Not  a  novice,  lest  being  lifted  up  with  pride,  he  fall  into 
the  condemnation  of  the  devil. 

*  Moreover,  he  must  have  a  good  report  of  them  that  are 
without;  lest  he  fall  into,  reproach  and  the  snare  of  the 
devil."—!  Timothy  iii.  2—7. 

Although  many  portions  of  scripture  might  be  brought 
into  view,  setting  forth  the  same  doctrine,  and  giving  the 
same  description  of  the  necessary  qualifications  for  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  or  the  peculiar  traits  of  character  that 
should  be  maintained  by  a  minister  of  Christ ;  it  is  not  es- 
sential to  our  purpose  that  it  should  be  done. — The  above 
quotation  is  full,  and  of  divine  authority;  and  is  intended  for 
the  whole  ministry.  In  it  we  notice,  first,  that  the  minis- 
ter of  the  go'spel  must  be  blameless  ;  and  in  following  out 
the  A-postle  we  find  how  very  comprehensive  is  the  mean- 
ing of  this  expression.  It  has  reference  to  his  whole  life 
and  conversation. 

Secondly,  that  he  must  not  be  a  novice,  or  one  who  is 
unacquainted  with  the  rudiments  of  religion;  but  one  who 
has  been  well  taught  in  the  school  of  Christ,  and  conse-^ 
quently  w^se  and  established  in  the  things  of  God.  For, 
without  this,  he  is  in  danger  of  being  lifted  up  with  pride, 
and  of  falling  into  the  condemnation  of  the  devil.  Litera- 
ture and  science  are  good  and  necessary,  to  some  extent, 
and  especially  in  some  cases  ;  but  a  man  might  have  alt 
the  learning  in  the  world,  and  yet  be  a  novice  in  divine 


196  FALSE  MINISTRY,  &C. 

things,  having  never  been  taught  in  the  school  of  Christ ;  apd 
consequently  unfit  to  teach  the  science  of  religion.  Hence 
we  may  understand,  it  is  not  to  any  thing  of  this  kind  that 
the  Apostle  especially  alludes  ;  if  he  alludes  to  it  at  alL 
Indeed,  many  of  the  apostles  themselves,  who  were  imme- 
diately called  and  sent  of  Christ,  to  preach  the  unsearcha- 
ble  riches  of  his  kingdom,  were  found  by  Him  at  their  fish- 
ing nets,  and  had  no  pretensions  to  extensive  learning. 
Nay,  it  was  said  of  them  that  they  were  "  unlearned  men  ;" 
yet,  being  taught  the  holy  science  of  his  ever  blessed  gos- 
pel, and  called  and  sent  to  his  holy  work,  they  became  wise 
master-builders  in  the  house  of  God  ;  and  pillars  in  His 
temple,  to  go  out  no  more  forever. 

The  Apostle's  meaning,  therefore,  is,  that  none  should 
pretend  to  preach  the  gospel,  who  are  novices  in  the  school 
of  Christ ;  that  it  is  necessary  that  all  should  be  taught  of 
God ;  become  wise,  in  the  experience  of  his  grace,  and 
have  their  understanding  opened  up  by  Him  who  is  the  light 
of  the  world,  so  that  they  may  understand  the  Scriptures  ; 
and  then  tarry  at  Jerusalem  until  endowed  with  power  from 
on  high.  We  might,  otherwise,  go  before  we  were  sent ; 
and  consequently  never  profit  the  people  to  whom  we 
should  preach.  Literature,  the  arts,  and  sciences,  are  all 
good  in  themselves  ;  and,  when  properly  used,  are  beneficial 
to  mankind.  And  we  could  wish  they  were  better  studied 
and  more  generally  and  thoroughly  understood,  in  our  fair 
and  heaven-favoured  land.  For  it  is  true,  the  more  we  have 
of  this  kind  of  knowledge,  if  we  do  not  let  it  puff  us  up, 
but  use  it  as  a  hand-maid  to  the  gospel ;  the  more  abund- 
antly useful  we  may  be  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.  This  is- 
evident,  in  the  case  of  Wesley,  and  many  others.  What 
would  they  have  done,  had  it  not  been  for  extensive  learn- 
ing.? But,  after  all,  a  man  may  have  all  the  wisdom  that 
belongs  to  the  world  ;  yet  if  he  is  destitute  of  that  wisdom 


FALSE  MINISTERS,   &C.  197 

that  comes  from  above,  that  is  "  first  pure,  then  gentle,  easy 
to  be  entreated,  fall  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  without  par- 
tiality,  and  without  hypocrisy,"  he  is  but  a  novice,  in  the 
Apostle's  estimation,  and  altogether  unqualified  to  preach 
the  gospel. 

Moreover,  it  is  required  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  that 
he  should  so  conduct  and  govern  his  own  family,  that  he 
may  have  his  own  children  in  subjection,  with  all  giavity^ 
That  this  is  an  important  item  in  this  matter,  may  be  seen 
from  the  fact,  that  the  world  looks  for  more  from  the  chil- 
dren of  religious  parents,  and  especially  of  ministers,  than 
from  any  others  ;  and,  indeed,  frequently  look  for  more 
than  they  should,  or  have  any  reason  to,  expect.  For,  after 
all  that  parents  can  do,  they  cannot  give  their  children  reli- 
gion ;  but  they  can,  and  it  is  their  duty,  to  check  their  unruly 
passions,  and  so  to  teach  them  the  fear  of  God  as  to  have 
them  in  subjection.  Indeed,  unless  we  do  this,  we  are— in 
the  Apostle's  estimation— not  fit  to  govern  the  Church. 

Finally,  by  the  grace  of  God,  the  minister  of  religion  is 
expected  so  to  conduct  himself,  at  home  and  abroad,  in  the 
pulpit  and  out  of  the  pulpit,  in  reference  to  the  Church,  his 
family,  and  the  world,  that  he  may  avoid  reproach,  and  have 
a  good  report,  not  only  in  the  Church,  but  also  amongst 
them  that  are  without.  And,  whoever  has  considered  this 
subject,  has,  no  doubt  seen  how  necessary  all  this  is,  in  or- 
der  that  the  gospel  be  not  blamed;  and  that  the  ministers 
of  the  word  of  life  not  only  be  useful  in  turning  many  to 
righteousness,  but  that  they  show,  indeed  and  in  truth,  that 
they  belong  to  the  true  Apostolic  Succession. 

But,  after  all,  it  may  be  inquired,  When  and  where,  could 
such  ministers  be  found,  as  described  by  the  apostle  1  see- 
ing  so  much  corruption  and  sin  has  been  found,  not  only 
among  professors,  but  also  among  the  ministers  of  religion. 
As  humiliating  as  it  may  be,  we  are  bound,  in  honesty,  to 


198  FALSE  TEACHERS,  &C, 

confess,  that  there  have  been,  in  every  age,  and  in  almost 
every  branch  of  the  Church — and  especially  in  that  one  that 
would  claim,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  the  rest,  to  be  the  only 
true  Church — men  of  corrupt  minds,  degraded  by  sensuality 
and  worldly  ambition,  who  have  been  found  claiming  the 
highest  ministerial  authority  and  dignity.  These  are  truly 
wolves  in  sheeps'  clothing,  who  scatter,  tear,  and  slay,  the 
flock  of  Christ ;   but  verily  they  have  their  reward. 

For  although  the  wisest,  and  best  of  men,  may  be  de- 
ceived, and  thereby  be  induced  to  lay  "holy  hands  on  skulls 
that  will  not  learn,"  and  therefore  connot  teach;  or  on 
men  who  in  their  ignorance,  and  pride,  make  much  ada 
about  the  pomp,  and  parade  that  they  wish  to  throw  around 
religion,  in  order  to  hide  the  licentiousness  of  their  lives, 
and  keep  up  their  supposed  dignity,  thus  disgracing  them- 
selves, and  their  holy  calling ;  yet  God  is  not  deceived. 
He  searcheth  the  heart,  and  seeth  the  end  from  the  begin- 
ning ;  and  in  that  day,  when  he  shall  come  in  power  and 
great  glory,  and  call  all  his  servants  before  him,  to  reckon 
with  them,  he  will  render  to  such  their  due. 

It  is  very  remarkable,  that  in  every  age,  and  branch  of 
the  church,  such  as  have  had  the  least  pretension  to  good- 
ness— which  is  an  essential  pre-requisite  to  the  work  of  the 
holy  ministry — have  been  the  greatest  advocates  of  the  doc- 
trine of  succession,  and  all  the  outward  pomp  and  parade 
essential  thereto.  How  notorious  this  has  been, in  the  case 
of  many  of  the  Popes  of  Rome  !  While  they  were  living 
in  open  rebellion  against  God,  and  his  holy  laws  ;  pro- 
claiming their  sins  as  Sodom,  and  their  transgressions  as 
Gomorrah;  they  were  the  most  tenacious  of  their  author- 
ity, and  the  most  clamorous,  about  that  outward  show,  that 
is  so  very  peculiar  to  their  own  church.  Instead  of  that  in- 
ward and  spiritual  grace,  that  is  the  true  ornament  of  the 
soul,  they  would  have  the  world  to  believe,  that  the  beauty 


FALSE  MINISTRY  &c  199 

and  glory  of  the  church,  consisted  in  holij  water,  splendid 
veshnents,  a  tripple  crown,  and  holy  hones  ;  with  all  the  out- 
ward pomp,  and  splendor  displayed  by  Papal  Rome.  And 
at  the  same  time,  to  bring  up  the  climax  of  their  fearful 
folly,  in  the  pride  and  vanity  of  their  hearts,  they  claim  to 
be  no  less  than  the  vicegerents  of  C'hrist  upon  earth;  and 
consequently  that  they  possess  the  tremendous  power,  of 
opening  and  shutting  the  kingdom  of  heaven  at  their  plea- 
sure. And  why  all  this  ?  why  this  vast  assumption  of  dig- 
nity and  power,  and  pomp  and  show  ?  but  for  the  base  in- 
tention of  lording  it  over  God's  heritage  ;  and  thereby  to  turn 
the  grace  of  God  into  lasciviousness. 

And  this  pomp  and  show,  and  disgusting  parade,  has  not 
only  been  conteaded  for  by  the  Pope  of  Rome;  but  has  been 
recently  brought  up,  and  most  earnestly,  and  vehemently 
claimed,  by  some  of  the  would  be  succesors  in  the  church 
of  England.  Some  years  ago  a  death  blow, as  it  was  thought, 
had  been  given  by  Luther  and  others, to  the  horrid  abuses  of 
Popery;  and  in  the  times  of  the  Reformation,  the  fathers  of 
the  church  did  not  so  much  as  desire  any  authority  from  Pa, 
pacy,  and  would  have  thought  themselves  disgraced,  by  any 
connection  with  the  Church  of  Rome ;  as  is  very  evident 
from  the  fact  that  they  openly  renounced  her,  with  all  her 
idolatry  and  superstition,  and  denounced  her,  as  the  most 
filthy,  and  abominable  of  all  things.  How  strange  is  it 
then,  that,  after  a  lapse  of  a  few  years,  some  are  found,  in 
the  English  church  leaning  so  much  towards  Popery,  that 
they  claim  succession  from  it;  and  would,  if  possible, 
again  establish,  some    of  its  most  objectionable  features. 

One  would  think  that  all  the  Protestant  world  would,  in 
this  enlightened  day,  be  perfectly  willing  that  Papal  Rome 
should  stand  alone,  in  her  own  peculiar  glory;  that  she 
should  be  welcome  to  all  she  could  make  out  of  her  old 
and  long-exploded  doctrine  of  Succession;  which  she  at 


200  FALSE   MINISTRY,     &c 

first  raised,  as  far  as  possible  to  prevent  the  spread  of  Pro- 
testantism. But  alas !  this  is  not  the  case.  In  old  Eng- 
land, there  are  men  found,  of  late,  who,  by  some  means, 
have  seen  something  so  enchanting  in  the  old  mother 
church,  that,  if  they  cannot  venture  again  to  fall  into  her 
bosom,  they  appear  to  wish  to  get  as  near  to  her  as  possi- 
ble ;  and,  for  this  purpose,  have  raised  the  cry  of  Succes- 
sion !  Succession  !  !  And  why  all  this  clamor  about  out- 
ward things?  Would  it  be  a  breach  of  charity  to  say,  it 
savours  much  of  that  spiritual  darkness,  that  never  can 
comprehend  the  true  light  of  the  gospel,  or  a  deplorable 
want  of  that  solid,  inward,  spiritual  treasure,  that  none  but 
Christ  can  give? 

But,  had  this  dark  spirit  of  error  and  superstition  re- 
mained where  it  originated,  we  would  have  been  much  bet- 
ter satisfied,  and  would  not  have  been  at  much  pains  about 
it.  But  it  has  followed  us  into  this  happy  land,  the  asylum 
of  our  pilgrim  fathers,  who  fled  hither,  hoping  never  again 
to  be  troubled  with  the  evils  they  sought  to  shun,  and  of 
which  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  Succession,  so  surpri- 
singly contended  for,  forms  such  a  conspicuous  part.  But, 
instead  of  this,  to  the  amazement  of  many  reflecting  and  en- 
lightened minds,  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  although 
her  first  Bishop,  and  many  of  her  most  enlightened  and  pious 
ministers,  have  denied,  and  still  do  deny,  not  only  the  ne- 
cessity, but  also  the  truth,  of  any  such  doctrine,  with  all  the 
corruptions  of  Popery  which  stands  connected  with  it; 
has,  through  some  of  her  ministers — and  even  through 
some  of  her  Bishops — caught  the  spirit,  on  this  side  the 
broad  waters;  and  has  united  with  Popes,  Pusey,  and  oth- 
ers, in  the  cry  of  Succession.  They  are,  even  now,  trying 
to  spread  it  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land, 
accompanied  with  the  startling  assertion,  that,  where  there 
is  no  succession,  there  is  no  Church,  no  properly  authorized 


TRUE  MINISTRY,   &C.  201 

ministry,  and  no  valid  administration  of  the  ordinances  of 
God's  house  !     While,  on  the  other  hand,  those  ministers 
who  are  so  happy  as  to  be  in  her  pale,  and  to  minister  at  her 
holy  altar,  can,  in  their  estimation,  .by  some  strange  and 
mysterious  power,  by  the  administration  of  baptism  and 
the  holy   sacrament   of  the    Lord's  Supper,   forgive   sins, 
cleanse  and  sanctify  the  soul,  and  thereby  fully  prepare  it 
for  Heaven.     Indeed,  how  wonderful  are  the  power  and 
glory  0^  Succession,  if  we  could  only  believe  it !     And  may 
we  not  soon,  if  it  should  prevail  to  any  encouraging  ex- 
tent, expect  to  hear  of  the  need  of  auricular  confession,  holy 
water,  and  a  little  precious  spittle  from  the  priest's  lips,  to 
touch  the  ears  and  tongue,  in  the  administration  of  baptism, 
in  order  to  make  it  valid  ?  and  that  it  is  unnecessary,  yea,  al- 
together wrong,  to  give  the  wine  to  the  common  people,  in 
the  administration  of  the  holy  Sacrament  ?     But,  in  sober 
seriousness,  may  we  not  ask,  Can  these  men  be  serious  ?  or 
can  they  possibly,  with  all  the   light  of  the  Reformation, 
and  increasing  Rnowledge  of  this  enlightened  age,   believe 
what  they  say?  or,  must  we  believe  that  men  of  as  good  op- 
portunities as  they  have  enjoyed,  are,  nevertheless,  so  much 
under  the  influence  of  egotism,  so  blinded  with  bigotry,  as 
to  contend  for  doctrines  and    usages  long  since  exploded 
by  the  fathers  of  the  Reformation  ?    To  say  the  least  of  it, 
does  it  not  look  like  an  attempt  to  be  recognized,  as  the 
established  church  in  these  United  States  ?  that  they  may 
the  more  certainly  receive  the  fleece,  and  the  more  readily 
lord  it  over  God's  heritage.     But  we  would  in  charity  hope 
these  things  cannot  be ;  and  that  they  are  only  mistaken,  in 
their  views  of  the  whole  matter. 

When  we  hear  Popes  and  Cardinals,  with  the   cunning 

Jesuits,  claiming    for  themselves  and  Mother  Church,  this 

high  authority  and  dignity,  which  is  sought  to  be  supported 

by  preaching  up  the  old  ghost  of  Succession,  and  thereby  to 

26 


202  TRUE  MINISTRY,  4.C, 

stop,  as  far  as  possible,  the  progress  of  reformation,  all  ap 
pears  to  be  right  and  consistent.     For,  by  artifice  and  delu- 
sion, they  are  wont  to  attain  their  ends.     But,  when  we  see 
the  ministers  of  the  Church  of  England,  wilh  the  records  of 
the  Reformation  in  their  hands;  and  yet,  more  especially, 
the    Protestant  Episcopal   Church  in  this  country,  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  leaning  so   strongly  to  Popery  as  to 
claim   the    doctrine    of   Succession,   with  all   its  dogmas 
and  concomitant  evils  ;  or  in  other  words,  to  claim — as  Dr. 
Chapman  and  others  would  induce  us  to  believe — that  it  is 
the  only  true  Church  of  Christ,  possessing  the  only  prop- 
erly authorized  ministry,  who  alone  can,  in  a  valid  sense, 
administer  the  holy  ordinances  of  the  Gospel,  is,  to  us,  we 
must  confess,  strange,  yea,  passing  strange  !    Who  but  must 
know,  that  this  branch  of  Protestants,  has  made  such  little 
progress — although  nearly  as  old  as  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  this  country — that  it  is  composed  of  a  mere 
handful,  scarcely  known  in  many  parts  of  our  land  ?     In- 
deed, to  remain  of  so  exclusive  a  spirit,  as  to  denounce  all 
other  branches  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  to  stigmatize 
them  as  spurious,  and  only  of  the  inventions  of  men,  is  at 
once  to  say,   God  has  more  abundantly  favored  falsehood 
than  truth,  or  the  Churches  that  are  the  mere  inventions  of 
man,  than  his  own  chosen  and  divinely  established  Church, 
For  it  is  notorious  that  they  have  been,  or  at  least    many 
branches  of  them,  abundantly  more  useful  to  the  souls  of 
men,  and  have  much  more  increased  in  number,  than  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

But  we  are  free  to  confess  after  all,  that  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  in  her  articles  of  faith,  her  homilies  and 
many  other  things,  is  worthy  of  all  acceptation  ;  and  that 
she  has  many  good  and  holy  men  who  minister  at  her  altar 
with  many  precious  christians  belonging  to  her  commu- 
nion.    And  were  she  a  little  more  industrious,  and  liberal 


TRUE  MINISTRY,  dec.  203 

in  sending  out  her  labourers  into  the  highways  and  hedges, 
and  a  little  more  zealous  in  the  cause  of  truth;  instead  of 
expending  all  her  energies  in  the  support  of  her  imaginary- 
exclusive  claims;  she  would  be  abundantly  more  useful  in 
the  world  than  she  is.  But  at  the  same  time,  we  cannot  in 
truth,  award  to  her  any  supremacy,  or  ecclesiastical  digni- 
ty, over  the  rest  of  her  sister  churches. 

Again.  While  Popes,  and  a  few  exalted  spirits  in  Eng- 
land, and  America,  are  thus  contending  in  their  self-form- 
ed dignity,  for  such  exclusiveness,  it  is  not  so  with  the  truly 
enlightened,  and  devout  ministers  of  Christ,  in  any  branch 
of  the  church;  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  not  except- 
ed. They  have  been  truly  taught  of  God,  and  consequent- 
ly, have  become  wise  unto  salvation  ;  and  hence,  they  know 
too  well  to  estimate  the  peace,  and  precious  principles, 
that  essentially  belong  to  the  religion  of  Christ,  and  are 
not  easily  carried  away  by  every  wind  of  doctrine.  Their 
great  aim  has  been  and  still  is,  not  to  preach  themselves, 
but  ♦'  Christ  and  him  crucified  ;"  to  set  forth,  as  essential 
to  the  existence  of  the  church,  and  the  salvation  of  men,  the 
substance,  and  not. the  shadow.  They  acknowledge  Christ 
and  Christ  alone,  as  their  head,  and  leader,  their  Lord  and 
master ;  and  wherever  he  appoints,  they  go,  not  by  con- 
straint, but  of  a  willing  mind,  not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  for 
Christ's  sake;  looking  that  they  shall  receive  their  reward, 
when  the  chief  shepherd  shall  appear.  Hence  they  are  wil- 
ling  to  labour  and  suffer  reproach,  yea,  they  count  not  their 
lives  dear,  so  they  may  win  Christ,  and  finish  with  joy  the 
work  he  has  given  them  to  do ;  and  finally,  in  common 
with  the  redeemed  from  the  earih,  receive  the  crown  of 
glory  that  fadeth  not  away.  And  now,  we  hesitate  not  to 
say,  let  them  be  found  where  they  may,  they  are  the  true, 
and  proper  successors  in  the  gospel  ministry  ;  for  Christ 
has  said  "by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 


204  TRUE  Mlx^ISTRY,  &c 

And  how  beautiful,  and  lovely,  are  the  feet  of  them  that 
bring  upon  their  tongues,  and  publish  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy,  and  peace,  amongst  men  !  How  rich,  and  delicious, 
the  fruit  of  their  lips  !  It  is  not  the  false  and  deceptions 
fruit  of  Sodom ;  but  the  delightful  fruit  of  the  paradise  of 
God.  How  many  have  sat  under  the  shadow  of  the  Al- 
mighty, through  their  means,  while  his  fruit  has  been  sweet 
to  their  taste.  See,  in  the  first  place  then,  how  this  was 
exemplified  in  the  true  Apostles  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ.  When  they  were  called  by  their  divine  mas-^ 
ter,  they  immediately  left  all  to  follow  him,  through  evil 
as  well  as  good  report.  It  is  true,  there  was  among  them 
a  Peter,  who  denied  his  Lord  and  master,  in  the  day  of 
trial ;  and  a  Judas  who  betrayed  him.  But  Peter  by  hear-, 
ty  repentance  was  restored  ;  and  Judas  in  the  agony  of  his 
guilty  soul,  hung  himself,  and  went  "  to  his  own  place." 
Yet  the  rest  of  them  were  faithful  unto  the  death.  This  we. 
know,  because  after  his  death  and  resurrection,  being  enr 
dued  with  power  from  on  high,  by  the  descent  of  the  Holy- 
Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  they  went  forth  in  obedience 
to  his  command ;  every  where  preaching  the  holy  gospel, 
God  bearing  them  witness,  both  with  signs,  and  wonders, 
and  divers  miracles,  and  gifts  of  the  holy  Ghost,  according 
to  his  own  will. 

How  very  different  were  Peter  and  his  fellow  Apostles  in 
their  circumstances,  and  outward  appearance,  to  the  Popes 
of  Rome  !  his,  would  be,  but  false  successors.  They 
had  no  large,  and  costly  vestmxents,  no  mitre  or  tripple 
crow^n,  no  gold  or  silver;  neither  did  they  pretend  to  do  any 
thing  in  their  own  name.  All  they  did,  was  in  the  name 
of  their  great  master  ;  and  hence,  it  is  plain,  all  they  had 
and  all  they  cared  to  have,  was  the  virtue  of  the  name,  and 
authority  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  indeed,  was  their  chief  or-r 
iiament  and  glory ;  and  by  this,  they  were  abundantly  sup-e 


TRUE  MINISTRY  &c  205 

cessful  in  establishing  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  throughout 
the  whole  of  the  then  known  world.  By  the  holy  and  mys- 
terious power  of  his  holy  name,  Emperors,  and  Kings  trem- 
bled in  their  presence.  Idolatry,  and  Judaism  fell  before 
them;  and  devils  fled  to  their  own  native  darkness,  while 
the  souls  of  men,  by  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands,  were 
enlightened,  disenthralled  from  sin;  and  brought  home  to 
God,  and  made  the  happy  partakers  of  the  riches  of  divine 
grace.  Hence,  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  these  simple, 
plain  and  unadorned  Apostles,  had  more  glory  than  all  to 
which.  Popes  or  cardinals,  with  all  their  gold  and  silver, 
and  pomp,  and  outward  show,  could  ever  attain.  Indeed, 
could  they  have  had  all  earth  could  give ;  what  would  it 
have  been,  when  compared  with  the  glory  that  comes  from 
God?  The  glory  of  being  called  by  him,  and  counted 
worthy  of  having  a  place  in  his  ministry,  to  have  his  spirit 
or  presence  continually  with  them  ;  and  his  promise  to  be 
with  them  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 

Again.  It  is  true,  they  were  so  poor  in  this  world  as  to 
be  compelled  to  say  "  silver,  and  gold,  have  we  none  ;"  yet 
they  not  only  had  glory,  but  the  riches  that  come  from  God. 
They  had  the  yearl  of  great  price,  the  riches  of  divine  grace; 
that  did  not  cost  gold  or  silver,  or  any  corruptible  thing, 
but  the  precious  heart's  blood  of  the  Son  of  God.  The 
kingdom  of  God  was  within  them,  which  consists  of  "  right- 
eousness, peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  conse- 
quently, Christ  as  King  in  his  own  kingdom,  lived  and 
reigned  in  them  the  hope  of  glory.  And  while  they  were 
thus  rich  in  the  knowledge  and  grace  of  God,  they  were 
heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ.  Hence  they  were 
still  richer,  in  prospect.  They  could  look  forward  with 
pleasing  anticipation,  to  the  "inheritance,  incorruptible, 
undefiled,  and  that  fadelh  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  for 
them,  and  not  for  them  only,  but  for  all  them  also  that  love 


206  TRl/E  MINISTRY,  &c 

his  appearing."  In  view  of  this  truUi,  and  in  prospect  of 
speedily  entering  into  the  possession  and  enjoyment  of  this 
inheritance,  the  Apostle  to  the  gentiles  wilh  rapturous  joy 
exclaimed  ;  *'  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand,  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  fin- 
ished my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith,  henceforth  theie  is 
laid  up  for  me,  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord 
the  righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day;  and  not  to  me 
only,  but  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing." 

We  have  thus  spoken  of  the  apostles,  because  they,  as 
wise  master  builders,  stand  at  the  head  of  the  ministry 
of  Christ,  and  are  ensamples  to  the  whole  flock.  And  al- 
though none  other  could  possess  the  peculiar  order  and 
authority  of  the  apostles  in  the  church  ;  yet  we  may  emu- 
late their  virtues,  and  as  christians,  and  chiistian  ministers, 
in  a  good  degree  be  like  them.  We  may  be  their  true  suc- 
cessors in  that  divine  grace,  that  shall  not  only  enable  us  to 
live  happy  here,  in  the  service  of  God;  but  will  qualify  us 
like  them,  to  preach  his  word  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent 
down  from  Heaven.  And  we  rejoice  to  know,  they  have 
had,  and  still  have,  many  successors  in  this  respect.  The 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head  of  his  own  church,  or  the 
'•High  Piiest  over  the  house  of  God  forever;"  and  he  has 
wisely  and  graciously,  leserved  in  his  own  hand,  the  power 
to  call  and  qualify  ministers  for  his  holy  work.  And  hav- 
ing done  this,  he  commandedhis  Apostles,  andthrough  them 
his  Church,  generally,  to  pray  the  Lord  of  the  Harvest,  to  send 
forth  more  labourers  into  his  vineyard.  This  therefore,  is 
our  duty;  and  it  is  all  in  this  respect  that  is  required  of  us, 
and  all  that  we  can  do. 

The  ancient  Fathers  so  called,  gave  ample  proof,  that  the 
great  head  of  the  church,  had  not  been  unmindful  of  his 
people  ;  but  in  answer  to  prayer,  had  raised  up  men  to  suc- 
ceed the  apostles  in  the  holy  ministry.      By  true  piety,  la- 


TRUE  TEACHERS,  &d.  207 

bours,   zeal   and   sufferings  in  the   cause   of  Christ,  they 
proved  to  the  world,  that  they  were  not  only  the  true  dis- 
ciples of  Christ,  but  that  they  were  the  truly   called  and 
sent  of  the  Lord  ;  and  consequently  were  in  the  true  spirit- 
ual succession.     And  this   is  the  kind  of  succession,  that 
Christ,  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  has  kept  up,  and  can  alone 
keep  up.     And  widely  does   it  differ  from  that  succession 
from  hand  to  hand  by  fallible  man,   that  has  been  lost  al- 
most from  the  beginning,  and  never  can  be  found.     Nor  if 
it  could,  would  it  be  of  any  avail  in  the  economy,  and  king- 
dom of  Christ ;  since  he  has  never  ordained  any  such  thing, 
so  as  to  make  it  necessary  in  the  establishment,   and  per- 
petuation of  his  ministry  and  church. 

The  following  names  may  be  mentioned,  as  they  stand 
foremost  among  those  who  immediately  followed  the  Apos- 
tles, in  the  ministry  of  the  word,  and  government  of  the 
Church.      Ignatius,    Bishop  of  Antioch,  who  served   that 
Church  thirty-seven  years,  and  because  of  his  faithfulness  to 
the  cause   of  Christ,    suffered   imprisonment,    with    many 
grievous  torments,  and  finally  was  taken  to  Rome,  by   the 
order  of  the  heathen  Emperor,  and  there  devoured  by  wild 
beasts.     Simeon,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem  ;  who.  after  presi- 
ding over  the  Church  for  forty-five  years,  was  crucified,  for 
Christ's  sake,  when  nearly  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  of 
age.     Onesimus,   Bishop  of  Ephesus,   who  was  stoned  to 
death  at  Rome.     And  Polycarp,  Bishop  of  Smyrna:  who, 
after  conducting  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  and  serving  her 
faithfully  at  least  for  seventy  years,  was  dragged,  by  the  fu- 
rious  and  infatuated  populace,  to  the  stake,  and  required  to 
swear  by  the  genius  of  Cassar.     To  this  requisition,  he  is 
said  to  have  returned  the  following  spirited  answer:  "  Four 
score  and  six  years,  have  I  served  my  Master,  Christ,  and  he 
never  did  me  any  injury  ;  how,  then,  shall  I  now  blaspheme 
,  my  King  and  Saviour  ?"    Thus,  as  a  good  soldier  of  Christ, 


208  TRUE   MINISTRY,     &c 

he  was  faithful  unto  death,  and  received  the  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom. But  it  is  said,  moreover,  when  he  was  cast  into' 
the  flames,  they  encircled  his  body  like  an  arch,  without 
touching  him  ;  on  -which  the  executioner  was  ordered  to" 
pierce  him  with  a  sword  :  when  so  great  a  quantity  of  blood 
flowed  out,  that  it  quenched  the  flames;  yet  his  body  was 
ordered  to  be  consumed  on  the  pile.  And  thus,  we  might 
proceed  to  m'ention  many  more  of  the  holy  and  devout  men, 
Bishops,  and  other  Ministers  of  the  ever-blessed  gospel, 
who  lived  in  the  second  century,  and  gave  the  most  une- 
quivocal proof,  in  life  and  in  death,  that  they  were  the  truly 
called  and  sent  of  the  Lord  ;  and  consequently  the  true  suc- 
cessors, in  the  ministry  of  God's  word.  But  it  is  not  neces- 
saiy  to  our  present  purpose.  However,  in  passing  downjthe 
successive  centuries,  from  the  Apostles  to  this  period  of 
time,  we  shall  find  use,  occasionally,  for  the  names  of  a  few 
more  of  the  most  prominent  among  the  servants  of  the 
Church,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  there  is  a  true  Suc- 
cession— easily  to  be  pointed  out — of  men,  who  received 
this  mysterious  authority  ;  not,  indeed,  from  the  hands  of 
Popes  or  Bishops,  but  immediately  from  the  Great  Head  of 
the  Church  himself.  Who  but  must  believe  this,  of  Origen. 
Cyprian  and  Methodious  ?  with  many  others  who  flourished 
in  the  third  century.  Of  Eusebius,  Pamphilus,  Athana- 
sius,  Basil  the  great,  and  Chiysostom?  with  many  of  their 
contemporaries,  who  lived  and  laboured  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury. For,  in  looking  over  their  history,  we  find  they  bore 
the  true  marks  of  the  devoted  disciples,  and  ministers  of 
Christ, 

And  although  superstition,  and  the  basest  corruption 
soon  commenced  their  dreadful  reign,  and  continued  to  in. 
crease  for  successive  centuries,  so  as  to  threaten  the  entire 
destruction  of  the  pure  and  holy  religion  of  Christ;  yet, 
here  and  there,  in  each  succeeding  century,  a  bright  star  ap- 


TRUE  MINISTRY  &C  209 

peared  to  illumine  the  horizon  and  direct  the  weary  pilgrim 
to  the  fountain,  opened  in  the  house  of  David,  for  sin 
and  uncleanness,  and  in  which  he  might  wash  his  soul 
fiom  stains  of  deepest  dye.  These  we  might  notice  to  some 
advantage;  but  as  we  are  not  writing  a  history  of  the 
church,  we  pass  on  to  the  twelfth  century,  when  we  find 
the  Waldenses,  and  Albigenses  ,  who,  by  their  opposition 
to  the  superstitions,  and  corruptions  of  Popery;  their  pure 
doctrines  drawn  from  the  pure  word  of  God,  and  their  holy 
and  devoted  lives  to  the  cause  of  theii  great  Redeemer, 
were  brought  to  suffer  the  most  horrid  persecution  from  the 
hands  of  the  old  Mother  of  Hailots.  These  devoted  people 
of  God,  had  amongst  them,  not  only  the  pious,  self-denying 
and  persevering  Peter  Waldens,  but  others,  whose  life,  devo- 
tion and  usefulness  proved  that  they  were  sent  of  God  to 
labour  in  his  vineyard. 

And  must  not  the  same  acknowledgment  be  made  con- 
cerning Wickliffe,  John  Huss,  and  Jerome  of  Prague  ?  with 
many  others  in  their  day,  whose  godly  sincerity,  and  holy 
zeal  for  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ,  was  apparent  to  all  men; 
for  they  lived,  laboured,  suffered,  and  died  as  martyrs  for 
gospel's  sake. 

And  what  but  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  could  have 
strengthened,  and  sustained  Lulher  in  his  tremendous  con- 
flict, with  the  darkness  and  corruption  that  had  spread  far 
and  wide  as  the  mantle  of  death  over  the  church  in  his  day? 
He,  although  nothing  more  than  an  ordinary  minister,  as 
to  human  authority,  by  his  enlightened  zeal,  and  holy  cour- 
age in  the  cause  of  truth,  was  enabled  in  a  short  time,  to 
put  down  the  influence  of  Popery  and  to  establish  the  pure 
doctrines  of  the  gospel  in  many  of  the  German  states  and 
principalities.  And  what  appears  to  be  very  remarkable  in 
hiscase,  is,  although  the  wrath  of  Popes  and  their  emissaries 
waxed  hot  against  him, and  caused  their  Bulls,  and  anathemas 
27 


210  TRUE  MINISTRY,  &C 

to  burst  forth  with  fiery  persecution,  he  was  graciously  pre- 
served in  the  midst  of  all,  and  brought  at  last  to  a  peace- 
ful and  happy  death.  About  the  same  time  lived  the  gen- 
tle and  pacific  Malancthon,  who  greatly  assisted  Luther  in 
his  arduous  work,  by  his  sincere,  firm,  and  persevering,  de- 
votion to  the  cause  of  truth. 

Luther,  the  great  reformer,  in  the  hands  of  God,  had  not 
only  Malancthon  to  stand  by  him, and  cheer  and  encourage 
his  heart ;  but  also  Zuinglius  in  Switzerland;  a  man  not  in- 
ferior  to  himself  in  zeal  and  perseverance,  and  who  ventur- 
ed to  oppose,  and  rebuke,  the  errors  of  Popery,  with  all  im- 
aginable boldness.  This  vigorous,  and  interpreted  auxil- 
iary, who  advanced  with  such  daring  and  rapid  steps  to- 
wards the  utter  destruction  of  all  the  delusions  of  the  church, 
of  Rome,  was  the  cause  of  great  joy  to  Luther,  and  no  doubt 
to  every  sincere  lover  of  truth  in  that  day.  Moreover,  Cal- 
vin of  Nogen  in  Pickardy,  who,  by  a  diligent  perusal  of  the 
holy  scriptures,  discovered  the  necessity  of  a  thorough 
reformation  ;  commenced,  and  persevered  in  his  holy  la- 
bours, for  the  spread  and  victory  of  the  gospel,  amidst  the 
most  unrelenting  and  bloody  persecution  in  which  his  own 
life  was  in  danger.  And  he  thus,  not  only  greatly  aided  in 
carrying  out  and  giving  permanency  to  the  reformation  that 
had  been  so  happily  commenced,  and  gloriously  advanced 
by  Luther  and  his  worthy  coadjutors,  but  clearly  evinced 
that  God  the  blessed  Redeemer  and  Great  Head  of  the 
Church,  had  raised  him  up  and  sent  him  forth,  also,  to  do 
battle  in  his  name,  against  the  abominations,  and  tyranny  of 
Popery  ;  which  had  for  their  foundation  the  absurd  notion 
of  Apostolic  Succession. 

And  while  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  was  spreading 
and  prevailing  in  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  France, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  these  men  of  God,  the 
true   successors  of  the  Apostles,  in  spirit,  word  and  doc- 


TRUE  MINISTERS,  &C.  211 

trine  ;  Cranmer,  Latimer,  Ridley,  and  John  Knox  with 
many  others,  of  the  same  spirit,  appeared 'in  England  and 
Scotland,  against  the  abuses,  and  dark  superstitions*  of  the 
church  of  Rome,  and  in  favour  of  a  thorough  religious  refor- 
mation. These  holy  rnen  were  never  Catholic  Bishops; 
Dr.  Chapman's  assertion  concerning  Cranmer  and  Latimer, 
to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  But  they  despised  and 
cast  off,  the  old  Mother  odf  Harlots  with  all  her  filth  and 
abominations,  and  went  so  \i  as  to  declare,  that,  in  their 
estimation,  no  consecration  was  necessary  to  the  office  of  a 
Bishop  or  Presbyter  ;  much  less  the  ordination  contended 
for  by  Papists.  And  shall  any  be  found  in  this  day,  pos- 
sessing so  much  hardihood  as  to  say  that  these  bold  and 
successful  reformers  were  not  the  true  ministers  of  Christ, 
because  they  were  not  in  what  they  call  Apostolic  succes- 
sion ?  although  they  laboured,  and  suffered  reproach,  and 
finally  died  as  martyrs  for  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  Surely 
nothing  but  that  blind  superstition  and  bigotry,  that  ever 
accompanies  the  false  doctrine  of  the  uninterrupted  Apos- 
tolic succession  could  do  so  !  But  this  proud  and  hateful 
spirit,  the  root  and  foundation  of  all  the  abominations  of 
Papal  dominion,  is  capable  of  any  thing  but  love  and  truth. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  these  holy  men  of  God  did 
much  in  their  day,  for  the  reformation  and  salvation  of 
their  fellow  men  ;  that  hundreds  and  thousands  were 
brought,  by  their  instrumentality,  from  the  gross  errors  and 
blind  superstitions  of  Popery,  and  made  to  rejoice  in  the 
light  and  liberty  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Yet  the  Church 
of  God  suffered  a  sad  reverse,  in  the  reign  of  bloody  Queen 
Mary.  She  too  well  nigh  succeeded  in  putting  a  s.top  to 
the  Reformation — by  burning  and  butchering  many  of  her 
most  devout  and  faithful  subjects,  that  were  heartily  enga- 
ged in  the  service  of  God,  and  the  promotion  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom — and  in  establishing  the  Roman  Catho- 


212  TRUE  MINISTRY.  &C, 

lie  Church,  with  all  its  abominations,  in  tile  kingdom  of 
Great  Britain.  And  thus  the  true  spirit  of  Succession  was 
displaced,  by  the  preparation  of  racks  and  gibbets,  and 
chains,  and  faggots,  for  the  destruction  of  God's  most 
faithful  children  ! 

But  a  foundation  had  been  laid,  for  the  advancement  of 
the  pure  truths  of  the  Gospel,  that  could  not  be  removed 
by  the  combined  powers  of  earth  and  hell.  Divine  Provi- 
dence interfered,  in  speedily  cutting  down  the  bigoted  and 
bloody  Queen  and  her  fierce  and  blood-thirsty  abettors,  and 
in  raising  up  a  friend  to  the  Reformation,  in  placing  Eliza- 
beth on  the  throne.  In  her  day  appeared  many  holy  men  ; 
men  of  God,  raised  up  and  sent  out,  and  qualified,  by  the 
Great  Head  of  the  Church  ;  and  who,  although  they  had 
no  claim  to  Succession,  were  successful  in  doing  wonders 
in  their  Master's  name.  They  were  successful  iA  carrying 
out  the  Reformation,  and  in  establishing  the  present  Church 
of  England.  And,  while  her  pure  doctrines  and  discipline 
were  strictly  adhered  to,  she  flourished  as  the  corn,  and 
grew  as  the  vine.  But,  alas  !  after  all  that  God  bad  done 
for  the  Reformation,  in  raising  up  good  and  great  men,  and 
endowing  them  with  wisdom  and  power  from  on  high,  to 
put  down  Popish  tyranny,  and  to  establish  the  pure  princi- 
ples of  the  gospel  of  peace  ;  the  clergy,  because  of  the  un. 
hallowed  amalgamation  of  Church  and  State,  were  secured 
in  their  rich  and  over-grown  salaries  ;  so  that,  like  *'  Jeshu. 
run,"  they  "  waxed  fat,  and  kicked."  Stiange  as  it  may 
appear,  they  soon  began  to  claim  the  doctrine  of  Succes- 
sion, which  their  fathers  had  despised  and  cast  from  them. 
And  thus,  they  laid  the  foundation,  in  the  pride  and  folly  of 
their  hearts,  for  all  that  darkness  and  corruption  that  pre- 
vailed in  the  Established  Church  of  England;  until  God,  in 
his  infinite  wisdom  and  mercy,  raised  up  the  Wesleys  and 
their  worthy  friends  and  coadjutors,  to  commence  a  graciou? 


TRUE  MINISTRY,  &C  213 

revival  of  religion,  that  is  still  spreading  and  prevailing  to 
this  day.  When  Mr.  Wesley  commenced  his  heaven-inspi- 
red career,  such  was  the  flood  of  iniquity  that  inundated  all 
parts  and  classes  of  Great  Britain,  it  appeared  (hat  few 
were  left — especially  in  the  Established  Church — to  stand 
up  for  Christ  and  His  holy  kingdom.  It  might  be  said 
truly,  "the  whole  head  was  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  was 
faint."  For  the  clergy,  who  should  have  been  ensamples 
to  the  flock,  were  among  the  most  abandoned  and  profligate 
of  the  land  ;  and  hence,  gross  darkness  and  sin  spread,  far 
and  wide,  through  all  classes  of  the  community.  And  no 
wonder;  for  it  is  ever  true,  "like  Priests,  like  People." 
But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  and  abundant  in  goodness 
and  truth,  sought  to  put  a  stop  to  such  alarming  iniquity, 
by  saying,  through  the  instruments  he  was  pleased  to  raise 
up — of  whom  we  shall  more  especially  speak  in  the  next 
chapter — "  So  far  shalt  thou  go  and  no  farther,  and  here 
shall  thy  pioud  waves  be  staid."  This  is  appaient  from 
the  fact,  that  such  w^as  the  success  attending  the  labors  of 
Mr.  Wesley  and  the  preachers  laboring  with  him,  that  it 
must  be  confessed  the  hand  of  God  was  in  it;  since  none 
"  could  do  such  mighty  works,  except  God  be  with  him." 


214 


THE  VVESLEYS,  WHITFIELD.  &C. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

The  Wesleys,  Whitfield,  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  &,c. 

It  is  said,  in  Moore's  life  of  Mr.  Wesley,  that,  "  In  No- 
vember, 1729,  four  young  gentlemen  of  Oxfoid,  Mr.  John 
Wesley,  Fellow  of  Lincoln  College;  Mr.  Charles  Wesley, 
Student  of  Christ's  Church ;  Mr,  Morgan,  Commoner  of 
Christ's  Church  ;  and  Mr.  Kirkham,  of  Morton  ('oUege,  be-, 
gan  to  spend  some  evenings  in  a  week,  together,  in  reading, 
chiefly  the  Greek  Testament.  The  next  year,  two  or  three 
of  Mr.  John  \Vesley's  pupils  desired  the  liberty  of  meeting 
with  them  ;  and  afterwards  one  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  pu- 
pils. It  was  in  1732,  that  Mr.  Ingham,  of  Queen's  Col- 
lege, and  Mr.  Broughton,  of  Exeter,  were  added  to  their 
number.  To  these,  in  April,  were  joined  Mr.  Clayton,  of 
Brazen  Nose,  with  two  or  three  of  his  pupils.  About  the 
same  time,  Mr.  James  Harvey  was  permitted  to  meet  with 
them,  and  afterwards  Mr.  Whitfield."  "  They  kept  stated 
times  of  fasting,  received  the  Holy  Sacrament  every  Sab- 
bath, visited  the  prisons  and  the  sick  ;  they  sought  out  and 
relieved  the  distressed,  and  instructed  and  admonished 
the  ignorant.  By  these,  and  other  peculiarities,  attended  by 
uncommon  sobriety  of  deportment,  they  became  very  no- 
torious in  the  university,  and  acquired  the  name  of  Meth- 
odists. See  Gregory's  Church  Hist.,  revised,  &c.  by  M. 
Ruter,  D.  D.,  p.  566. 

We  have  made  the  above  quotation,  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  fiom  what  a  small  and  apparently  insignificant 
source,  that  branch  of  the  Church  called  Methodist,  took  its 
rise.  Four  young  men,  with  Mr  J.  Wesley  at  their  head, 
seriously  engaged  in  their  religious  duties — duties  plainly 


THE  WESLEYS,  WHITFIELD.  &.C.  215 

taught  in  the  word  of  God — designing  nothing  more 
than,  as  Christians,  to  get  and  do  ail  the  good  in  iheir 
power;  and  were  thereby  enabled  to  kindle  a  flame  of  holy 
religion,  that  has  spread  far  and  wide  through  the  different 
branches  of  the  Church  ;  and  continues  to  blaze  brighter 
and  brighter,  and  to  rise  higher  and  higher,  to  the  present 
day.  The  fountain  head  of  Methodism,  although  small  in 
the  number  of  men,  was  high  in  lileratqre  and  piety.  In" 
deed,  it  evidently  appears  to  have  had  none  other  for  its 
principal  fountain,  than  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  the 
Lord  of  Life  and  Glory.  Hence,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
that  its  sweet,  peaceful,  and  healing,  waters  soon  began  to 
spread,  and  continued  to  flow,  until  they  have  already,  not 
only  filled  many  of  the  vallies,  but  coveied  the  tops  of  the 
highest  mountains. 

But  this  was  not  done  without  the  strongest  opposition 
that  could  be  arrayed  against  it,  from  earth,  and  hell.  For 
a  considerable  time  the  whole  kingdom  of  Great  Britain 
appeared  to  be  in  a  rage  against  the  devoted  and  industri- 
ous John  VVesley,  and  his  immediate  followers  ;  simply  be- 
cause, like  their  adorable  master,  they  were  going  about 
doing  good.  The  wicked,  the  abandoned  and  licentious 
clergy — not  to  say  that  all  were  such — could  be  w^ell  toler. 
ated  ;  but  these  men  that  were  turning  the  world  right  side 
up,  were  insulted,  and  frequently  pelted  with  roiten  eggs, 
dirt  and  stones,  while  surrounded  by  mobs  of  mad-men, 
clamoring  for  their  tjood.  But  after  all  they  out-lived  their 
enemies.  God,  whose  cause  they  were  promoting  by  their 
suffering  and  labours,  raised  thern  up  hearty  and  strong 
friends  ;  and  made  even  the  wrath  of  men  to  praise  him, 
and  the  remainder  of  their  wiath  He  restrained;  while  iheir 
march  has  been  onward  and  upward,  and  their  motto  "  ho- 
liness unto  the  Lord." 

Mr.  Wesley,  attached  as  he  was  to  the  church  of  Eng- 


216  TRUE  MINISTRY,  &C 

land,  without  the  least  design  to  raise  up  a  separate  body  of 
christians,  and  intending  only  to  do  good  in  the  bosom  of 
the  church  to  which  he  belonged,  could  not  at  fiiat  brook 
the  idea,  of  an  unlettered  man  entering  into  the  ministery. 
But  the  Lord  who  know  belter  what  to  do  than  he  did, 
soon  raised  up  such  men;  and  so  wonderfully  qualified 
them  to  preach  his  holy  religion, and  so  providentially  thrust 
them  out  into  his  vineyard,  and  so  clearly  set  his  seal  up- 
on them  in  owning  and  blessing  their  labours,  to  the  salva- 
tion of  precious  souls,  that  he  was  convinced  of  his  error, 
and  was  glad  to  hail  them  as  fellow  labourers,  and  helpers, 
in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  Indeed  it  would  appear,  as 
though  the  Lord  intended  to  bring  about  a  state  of  things 
similar  to  that  which  existed  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles; 
to  show  that  his  ways,  were  not  our  ways  and  his  thoughts 
not  our  thoughts.  For,  while  he  had  in  his  field,  by  his  own 
appointment  the  Wesleys,  and  Fletcher,  with  some  more, 
highly  gifted  and  learned  men,  answering  to  the  few  learn- 
ed Apostles,  and  ministers  in  that  day,  he  had  also  many 
from  the  ordinary  occupations  of  life,  who  had  no  preten- 
sions to  learning;  but  being  taught  of  God  and  having  learn- 
ed religion  in  the-  school  of  Christ,  were  well  prepared  to 
preach  with  success,  the  holy  gospel  of  their  great  Redeem- 
er. And  these  answered  to  the  fishermen,  who  had  been 
called  from  their  nets  to  ibllow  Christ  in  his  day;  and  fi- 
nally to  sustain  the  high,  and  holy  office  of  the  Apostles. 
And  thus,  he  has  fulfilled  his  own  w^ord,  wherein  it  is  said, 
that,  "  God  halh  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  earth 
to  confound  the  wise  ;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak 
things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  that  are  mighty; 
and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despis- 
ed, hath  God  chose,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring 
to  nought  things  that  are.  "  And  why  did  the  Redeemer  of 
men  take  this  course  ?  why  did  he  not  confine  himself  in 


THE  WESLEYS,  WHITFIELD,  &C.  217 

carrying  on  his  work,  and  establishing  his  church,  to  the 
wise  and  learned,  to  the  rich  and  great  of  this  world  ?  as  he 
might  have  done.  Because,  he  would  not  have  our  faith 
to  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but  in  the  power  of  God; 
that  all  might  see,  and  acknowledge  the  hand  of  the  Al- 
mighty in  the  salvation  of  men,  and  be  constrained  to  give 
all  the  glory  to  God. 

Hundreds,  and  thousands,  were  soon  raised  up  in  Eng- 
land and  Ireland,  to  bless,  and  praise  God,  for  what,  by 
way  of  derision,  was  called  Methodism ;  and  while  hun> 
dreds  and  thousands,  have  gone  home  to  partake  of  their 
Master's  joy,  and  are  swelling  the  number  of  the  happy  re- 
deemed from  the  earth  ;  hundreds  and  thousands,  are  still 
left  behind,  who  are  pressing  on  with  *'  songs  and  everlast- 
ing joy  upon  their  heads,"  while  their  numbers  are  daily  in- 
creasing. It  is  truly  amazing  to  see  how  they  increased, 
as  they  pressed  on  to  the  mark,  for  the  prize  of  their  high 
calling,  which  is  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  !  And  while  in 
this  great  and  glorious  revival  of  religion,  under  the  name 
of  Methodism,  we  find  brought  into  the  church  many  great 
and  learned  men,  such  as  Fletcher,  Coke,  Benson,  Clark 
and  Watson,  and  many  others,  who  stand  as  stars  of  the 
first  magnitude  in  the  spiritual  Kingdom  of  Christ,  and 
whose  praise,  as  great  and  good,  and  useful  men,  is  in  all 
the  churches;  the  great  boast  of  Methodism  is  not  this ; 
but,  that  it  reaches  the  case  of  the  poor  outcast,  the  colliers 
in  their  subterranean  retreats,  and  labours  ;  the  Indians  in 
their  wigwams  ;  and  even  the  poor  Africans,  wherever 
found  and  in  whatever  condition  ;  all,  all  the  most  mean, 
and  degraded,  even  the  chief  of  sinners,  are  taken  out  of 
their  horrible  pit,  and  dungeon  of  sin  and  iniquity,  and 
made  the  happy  partakers  of  the  pardoning  mercy  of  God, 
and  thereby,  made  comfortable,  respectable,  and  useful 
members  of  civil,  as  well  as  religious  society.  This,  we 
28 


218  THE  WESLEYS.  WHITFIELD,  &C 

say,  is  truly  the  glory  of  Methodism ;  inasmuch  as  it 
proves  to  demonstration  that  it  is  what  it  should  be  ;  that 
it  sets  forth  religion  according  to  the  design  of  its 
original  and  true  author;  embracing  in  its  arms  of 
mercy,  and  godlike  benevolence,  the  whole  human  family, 
in  their  fallen  and  degiaded  condition,  no  matter  where  or 
how  they  may  be  found.  And,  nothing  more  is  necessary, 
to  establish  this  comfortable  and  heart  cheering  truth, 
than  to  recollect,  that  the'Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  said,  in 
the  exercise  of  his  infinite  wisdom  and  divine  goodness, 
^*the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  unto  them." 

The  glorious  revival  of  religion,  in  which  almost  every 
branch  of  the  Christian  Church  so  happily  participated 
and  which  spread  so  far  and  wide  in  the  old  world, 
could  not  be  confined  there.  It  soon  took  the  wings  of 
the  morning,  and  like  an  angel  of  light  and  mercy,  cross- 
ed the  briny  ocean,  and  found  its  w^ay  to  the  wilds  of 
America.  Wesley,'  Coke,  Asbury  and  others,  under  the  in- 
fluence of  holy  zeal,  for  the  spread  and  victories  of  the  Re. 
deemer's  kingdom,  took  their  lives  in  their  hands,  left  their 
friends,  homes,  and  native  land;  brooked  the  waves  of  the 
mighty  deep,  and  came  hither,  to  preach  to  their  fellow 
men  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  At  first  they  were 
few  in  number,  and  greatly  hated,  and  persecuted.  But 
God  did  not  disdain  the  day  of  small  things  ,  for  the  cloud 
that  first  appeared  as  little  as  a  man's  hand,  soon  gave  in- 
dications of  abundance  of  rain.  Truly  the  Lord  was  with 
them  according  to  his  promise,  and  gave  them  abundant 
success.  Societies  were  raised  up  and  established  in  dif 
erent  parts  of  the  country  ;  and  such  was  the  increase  of 
the  holy  religion  of  the  Saviour,  that  in  a  short  time,  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was  organized  with  Dr.  Coke 
and  Mr.  F.  Asbury,  as  its  first  Bishops  in  America.     And 


ifr 


I'HE  WESLEYS,  WHITFIELD,  &C  2l9 

^inG6  that  time,  may  it  not  be  asked,  "what  has  the  Lord 
Wrought." 

A  few  thousands  only,  composed  the  body  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  in  1784.  But  this  must  be  consid- 
ered a  great  number,  considering  the  short  time,  that  Meth- 
odism had  been  introduced  upon  the  continent,  and  the  per- 
secution it  had  to  endure.  Since  that  time  it  has  increas- 
ed and  spread,  until  it  has  filled  the  whole  land,  east,  west, 
north,  and  south  :  so  that  w^e  find  it  recorded  that  in  1832 
there  were  more  than  a  half  a  million  ;  and  now  in  1843 
more  than  one  million  of  precious  souls  belong  to  the  fold 
of  Christ  denominated  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church; 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
three  of  whom,  were  added  in  the  last  year  (1842.)  And 
in  addition  to  this,  by  the  vast  increase,  in  her  various  fields 
of  missionary  labours,  among  the  Indians,  bordering  on  the 
United  States,  in  Oregon,  in  South  America,  in  Africa,  and 
the  isles  of  the  sea,  thousands,  and  tens  of  thousands  are 
raised  up,  to  bless  the  God  and  Redeemer  of  men  ;  be- 
cause of  the  gracious  efforts  and  influence  of  Methodism. 
And  how  many  thousands  that  have  lived  happily,  and  died 
triumphantly,  and  are  now  swelling  the  sweet  sound  of  salva- 
tion to  God  and  the  Lamb  in  the  mansions  of  eternal  bliss, 
who  have  been  members  of  this  branch  of  the  Christian 
Church  cannot  be  told,  until  the  book  shall  be  opened  by 
him  who  shall  sit  upon  the  great  white  throne,  wherein  the 
names  of  the  righteous  shall  be  found,  in  letters  lined  with 
gold. 

And  who  have  been  the  instruments,  in  the  hands  of  God 
in  doing  this  mighty  work  ?  Surely  not  one  proud  spirit, 
that  claimed  for  himself  the  doctrine  of  uninterrupted  Apos- 
tolic succession;  no  not  one.  But  here  we  find  Coke,  As- 
bury,  Richard  Whalcoat,  M'Kendree,  Roberts,  George,Soul, 
Headings    Emory,  Andrew,    Mofris,  and    Waugh,  men  of 


220  THE  WES  LEYS,    WHITFIELD,  &,C 

God,  who  by  the  voice  of  the  church,  and  providence  of 
God  have  been  called  to  fill  the  sacred  office  of  Bishop ; 
which  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  is  not  one  of  ease 
and  emolument,  but  the  most  labourous,  and  self-denying 
of  all  others,  And  they  have  proved  themselves  worthy  of 
the  high  trust  reposed  in  them.  And  besides  these,  as  min- 
isters, laboring  and  faithful  ministers,  we  find  Thomas  Va- 
sey,  Philip  Embury,  Strawbridge,  William  Waters,  Nelson 
Reed,  Phillip  Bruce,  Joseph  Toy,  Hamilton  Jefferson,  and  a 
host  of  zealous.  God-fearing  men,  whose  names  it  would  be 
too  tedious  to  mention,  who  so  lived  and  laboured,  and  suffer- 
ed in  the  propagation  of  the  pure  principles  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ,  as  to  prove  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  most  scru- 
pulous mind,  that  God  the  great  head  of  the  church,  had 
sent  them  into  his  vineyard  ;  and  that  they  were  the  true 
successors;  not  from  hand  to  hand,  by  Papal  Bishops,  but, 
by  the  authority  of  him  who  is  the  great  high  priest,  over 
the  house  of  God  forever.  Mr.  Wesley  believed  that  upon 
the  whole,  the  Episcopal  form  of  Church  Government  was 
best ;  and  hence,  when  he  was  applied  to  by  his  children  in 
this  country,  for  direction,  and  assistance,  he  made  choice 
of  that  form  for  them  ;  and  sent  Dr.  Coke,  duly  authorized, 
by  the  imposition  of  his  own  hands — which  was  as  good  as 
the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  any  Apostle — to  establish  in 
this  happy  land,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  And 
verily,  subsequent  events  have  proved  that  God  was  in  it, 
and  all  was  right. 

But  the  Methodists,  in  Europe  or  in  America,  as  individ- 
uals or  as  a  body,  have  no.  fellowship  whatever  with  the 
pretended  notion  of  succession,  as  contended  for  by  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  They  believe  that  Presbyters 
or  Elders  are  the  highest  order  of  ministers  in  the  Church 
of  God  ;  and  consequently  have  no  superstitious  notions  or 
reverence  for  Bishops,  as  Bishops  ;  but  are  as  ready  to  ac- 


PRESBYTERIANS,  BAPTISTS,  &C  221 

knowledge  other  ministers,  who  claim  a  perfect  equality  in 
the  ministers  of  God's  word,  as  though  the  hands  of  the 
most  holy  and  acceptable  Bishops  had  been  laid  upon  their 
heads.  Hence,  they  view  the  Presbyterian  Church — which 
makes  no  claim  to  succession,  but  rather  despises  it,  and 
has  not  so  much  as  the  na7ne  of  Bishop---as  one  of  the  most 
excellent  and  useful  branches  of  the  Church  of  God.  In 
Scotland,  England,  Ireland,  and  America,  how  many  tens 
of  thousands  of  humble  and  devout  Christians,  have  been 
raised  up  in  that  branch  of  the  Christian  Church!  In 
America  alone,  it  was  said,  in  1832,  they  numbered,  as 
communicants,  more  than  two  hundred  thousand.  And 
how  many  thousands,  may  we  suppose,  have  been  added  to 
their  number  since  ?  And  while  they  now  number  so  many 
hundreds  of  thousands,  that  have,  so  far,  witnessed  a  good 
confession,  not  only  in  their  regular  and  established  work  in 
Europe,  as  well  as  in  America ;  many  tnousands  rise  up  to 
call  them  blessed,  because  of  their  efforts  in  their  mission- 
ary fields  of  labor  abroad,  in  distant  countries. 

And  shall  all  this  be  attributed  to  human  invention? 
Shall  this  beloved  branch  of  God's  Zion  be  called  spurious 
and  schismatic,  because  it  makes  no  claim  to  Apostolic 
Succession,  and  even  sets  aside  the  name  of  Bishop  ;  hav- 
ing nothing  more  than  presbyterial  ordination  ?  Surely 
not ;  for  she  bears  the  marks  of  the  true  Church  of  Christ ; 
and  must  be  acknowledged,  by  all  unprejudiced  minds,  as 
worthy  of  all  acceptation.  Who  but  must  admire  her  zeal, 
her  indefatigable  labours  for  the  promotion  and  spread  of 
gospel  truth,  and  especially  her  able  and  efficient  ministry  ? 
without  any  Pope  or  Bishop  at  their  head.  These,  indeed, 
are  the  men  of  God,  and  the  true  successors  of  the  Apostles, 
in  spirit  and  practice  ;  for  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church 
has  owned  them  as  such. 

Again  :  the  Baptist  Church,  in  all  its  varieties  and  shades 


232  PRESBYTERIANS ,  BAPTISTS ,  &C 

of  difference,  is  a  large  and  highly  respectable  branch  of 
the  Christian  Church  ;  numbering,  in  America  alone,  ac= 
cording  to  their  own  account,  in  1832,  more  than  three 
hundred  and  four  thousand  communicants.  And,  as  God 
has  been  carrying  on  his  work  gloriously  among  them  ever 
since,  may  we  not  suppose  that  tens  of  thousands  have  been 
added  to  them  since  that  day  ?  She,  too,  has  extended  her 
arms  of  benevolence  to  the  heathen  world;  and  has  many 
able  and  devoted  ministers,  laboring  in  distant  lands,  with 
great  and  glorious  success. 

Besides  these,  how  many  dissenters,  in  England,  and 
other  places;  with  many  smaller  branches  of  the  Christian 
Church,  might  be  mentioned,  in  this  country?  They  have 
been  exceedingly  useful  in  their  day  ;  and  are  continually 
increasing  in  number  and  grace  ;  but,  like  the  rest  of  their 
sister  churches,  they  despise  the  blind  doctrine  of  Apostolic  ' 
Succession.  And  shall  all  these,  with  their  numerous, 
able,  and  devoted  ministers,  be  denounced  as  forming  no 
part  of  the  mystical  body  of  Christ  ?  as  forming  no  part  of 
of  the  Church  of  God,  having  no  truly  authorized  minis- 
ters, and  none  of  the  holy  sacraments  duly  administered 
amongst  them,  after  all  ?  because,  forsooth,  they  are  not  in 
the  pretended  uninterrupted  succession  of  the  Apostles,  as 
contended  for  by  the  Protestant  Episcopal  (  hurch  !  And, 
moreover,  while  she  claims  for  herself  the  benefit  of  this 
ideal  succession,  must  all  the  rest  bow  down  to  her,  and 
awajd  to  her,  according  to  her  claim,  to  be  "the  only  true 
Church,  or  Bride  of  Christ," — as  Dr.  Chapman  would  ex- 
press it — having  the  only  truly  authorized  ministry,  who 
alone  have  the  right  to  administer  the  holy  ordinances  of 
God's  house  ?  If  so,  a  strange,  an  unaccountable,  fact, 
would  appear,  i.  e.,  that  human  inventions  had  far  tran- 
scended, in  doing  good  among  men,  the  design  and  inven- 
tion of  Infinite  Wisdom  and  Goodness.     For,  while  all  the 


PRESBYTERIANS.  BAPTISTS,  &C  223 

rest  of  the  different  blanches  of  the  Protestant  Church,  have 
so  abundantly  prospered  in  their  efforts  to  do  good ;  while 
they  abhor  the  lordly  pretension  of  Apostolic  Succession  ; 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  done  comparatively 
little,  in  this,  or  any  other  country.  In  1832,  she  only  num" 
bered,  in  these  United  States,  about  700  congregations  ; 
and  she  has  not  increased  in  proporiion  to  the  rest  of  the 
churches,  up  to  this  day.  However,  by  this  we  do  not  in- 
tend to  say,  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is  not  a 
respectable  branch  of  the  Church  ;  or  that  she  has  not  been 
useful,  to  some  extent.  But  we  intend  to  say,  that,  if  she 
is  right  in  her  claims  for  herself,  and  denunciations  of  oth- 
ers, it  is  strange,  yea,  passing  strange,  that  God  has  conde- 
scended to  bless  and  sanction,  the  plans  and  efforts  of 
schismatics  and  fanatics,  more  abundantly  than  those  of  his 
own  beloved  Zion  ;  which  truth  must  be  read  and  known  of 
all  men. 

But,  that  the  God  of  all  grace  has  never  dealt  thus  with 
his  Church  and  people  ;  and  that  the  lordly  pretensions  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  have  been  the  cause  of 
her  want  of  equal  prosperity  with  the  rest  of  her  sister- 
chiirches,  is  evident,  when  we  look  to  the  origin  of,  and  effects 
that  have  ever  been  produced  by,  such  pretensions.  The 
Popes  of  Rome  first  set  up  the  claim  of  being  the  Succes. 
sors  of  the  Apostles,  and  especially  of  Peter.  This  claim, 
at  first,  was  but  little  regarded  ;  but  it  was  persisted  in; 
and  finally  urged  to  the  extent  of  asserting,  that  they  were 
the  vice-gerents  of  Christ  upon  earth  ;  because,  as  then  pre- 
tended, they  had  received  Divine  authority  through  the  Apos, 
ties  ;  who  had  been  empowered,  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
to  constitute  ministers,  by  the  imposition  of  their  hands- 
and  to  transmit  to  them  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven; 
so  that  they  could  open  and  shut  it  at  their  own  pleasure. 
la  this  false  claim,  they  set  themselves  above  the  kings  and 


224  PRESBYTERIANS,  BAPTISTS,  &C. 

princes  of  the  earth ;  and  succeeded  to  such  an  amazing 
extent,  as  to  tread  upon  their  necks,  and  make  them  kiss 
their  toes  !  It  is  on  this  ground,  that  the  Church  of  Rome 
claims,  in  the  pride  and  arrogance  of  her  heart,  infallibility  ; 
to  support  which,  she,  as  far  as  possible,  prevents  mankind 
from  reading  and  becoming  acquainted  with  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  well  knowing  that,  wherever  the  human  mind  be- 
comes enlightened  by  the  Divine  Truth,  the  cheat  is  disco- 
vered, and  her  authority  is  immediately  cast  off.  Hence, 
she  dreads  nothing  so  much  as  the  effects  of  the  blessed 
Bible  society,  in  sending  the  scriptures,  into  every  land. 
And  this  is  the  reason  why  but  a  little  time  since  the  Pope 
sent  out  his  Bull,  anathematizing  and  denouncing  the  Bi- 
ble society,  and  the  spread  of  the  holy  scriptures.  And 
here  let  me  ask.  Who,  in  his  sober  senses,  can  for  a  moment* 
sanction  that  dark  spirit,  or  lordly  pretension,  that  would 
strip  us  and  our  children  forever,  of  the  blessed  word  of 
God,  which  alone  is  sufficient  to  make  us  wise  unto  salva- 
tion? 

It  is  this  high  and  false  claim  of  succession,  that  has  en- 
abled the  Popes  of  Rome  to  grasp  the  civil  as  well  as  eccle- 
siastical ahthority,  and  with  the  rest  of  their  clergy,  to  lord 
it  over  God's  heritage,  and  turn  the  grace  of  God  into  las- 
civiousness ;  while  with  all  their  pretended  sanctity  they 
were  living,  and  revelling  in  licentiousness.  Here  indeed 
we  find  the  foundation  of  all  that  tyranny  that  has  been  so 
long  exercised  over  the  church  of  God,  to  the  destruction 
of  millions  of  mankind,  by  sword  and  flame.  Who  can 
think  of  the  blood  and  carnage,  of  which  the  church  of 
Rome  has  been  guilty — and  especially  the  guilt  that  hangs 
upon  her,  for  the  destruction  of  the  souls  of  men — and  not 
feel  his  heart  to  sicken  within  him  ?  It  is  true,  charity 
would  fain  throw  her  mantle  over  all  this  ;  but  it  is  writ- 
ten in  lines  of  blood,  on  the  broad  pages  of  the  world's 


CATHOLIC    INFLUENCE,  &C  225 

history,    and    never    can    be    hidden    from    our  view, 

And  who  does  not  know,  that,  it  is  on  this  false  ground^ 
that  spiritual  darkness  has  spread  her  wings  over  the  whole 
of  Papal  Rome  ?  so  that  instead  of  the  prevalence  of  the 
pure  principles  of  the  gospel,  and  the  administration  of  the 
holy  ordinances  of  God,  she  has  her  legends  and  rosaries* 
her  saints  and  images.  Hence,  too,  her  absurd  notions  of 
Purgatory,  that  have  enabled  her  to  fill  her  coffers,  by  pray- 
ing for  departed  spirits  ;  and  also  her  relics,  and  indulgen- 
cies,  and  the  monstrous  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  with 
many  of  the  absurdities  of  heathenish  worship;  and  all  for 
the  purpose  of  sustaining  the  lordly  domination  with  which 
she  has  invested  herself,  on  the  false  claim  of  Apostolic  suc^ 
cession.  But  although  these  things  have  been,  and  still  aie 
found  to  exist,  in  Papal  Rome,  one  would  suppose  that 
they  would  be  confined,  v/ith  all  their  deformity,  to  their  na- 
tive soil.  Yet  this  is  not  the  case ;  for  we  find  that  they 
have  been  transplanted  into  this  country,  where  every  ef- 
fort is  made  to  subvert  the  truth,  and  to  bring  this  great  and 
prosperous  republic  under  their  own  dark  dominion.  In 
the  city  of  New  York,  they  have  had  the  hardihood  to  claim 
for  their  exclusive  benefit  a  part  of  the  common  school 
funds  ;  in  order  to  cut  off,  as  far  as  possible,  the  children 
from  the  benefit  of  reading  the  holy  sariptures.  And  re- 
cently in  one  of  the  states,  not  far  from  the  borders  of  Can- 
ada, in  the  midst  of  this  free  republic,  and  protestant  na* 
tion,  they  have  dared  publicly  to  burn  the  holy  Bible  ;  thus 
offering  the  greatest  insult  that  could  have  been  offered  to 
the  religious  public.  And  may  we  not  receive  it  as  a  plain 
and  open  intimation,  that  if  they  can  only  get  the  power, 
they  will  burn  us  as  well  as  our  precious  Bible  ?  Truly  this 
is  amazing;  but  it  is  a  fair  developement  of  that  bold  spir- 
it that  claims  succession.  And  now  with  all  these  glaring 
facts  before  our  eyes,  is  it  not  truly  surprising  that  Protes- 
29 


226  CATHOLIC  INFLUENCE  &C 

tants  can  be  found  so  little  on  their  guard  ?  Is  it  not 
strange  that  they  look  so  little  at  things  so  plain  in  them- 
selves, that,  he  that  runs  may  read.  And  stianger  still,  that 
they  are  so  much  disposed — under  the  influence  of  their 
Christian  charity  to  make  the  best  of  every  thing — as  to  send 
their  children  to  Catholic  schools,  or  seminaries  of  learning? 
v^here,  notwithstanding  all  their  fair  pretensions,  every  se- 
cret insinuation  in  their  power  is  used,  to  turn  them  in  fa- 
vour of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  ;  for  the  purpose  of  aug- 
menting iheir  number  and  influence,  and  finally  bringing 
the  whole  country  under  their  baneful  influence.  Although 
they  have  not  succeeded  so  far  as  they  could  have  wished, 
yet  they  have  done  so  to  some  extent ;  and  the  parents  of 
some  children,  have  had  to  shed  many  tears  over  them,  be- 
cause of  their  change  to  Catholic  principles,  and  devotion 
to  Catholic  interest.  Most  certainly  it  is  time  for  us  to 
wake  up  to  our  real  condition,  and  our  inestimable  privil- 
eges. The  old  enemy  that  has  burned  and  butchered  our 
fathers,  and  mothers,  and  destroyed  our  Bible,  is  here,  and 
doing  all  in  her  power  to  ensnare  and  ruin  our  children. 
And  unless  we  wish  her  to  succeed,  and  accomplish  ful- 
ly her  designs,  and  thus  turn  God's  fruitful  heritage  into  a 
vast  howling  wilderness,  we  must  be  guarded  at  every 
point ;  and  especially  in  the  education  of  our  children. 
Rather  than  commit  this  to  the  Roman  Catholics,  it  would 
be  much  better,  and  abundantly  more  safe  for  our  children 
to  be  kept  at  home,  under  our  own  watchful  care,  even  if 
they  had  not  the  opportunity  of  learning  more  than  we 
could  teach  them  ourselves;  although  at  the  Catholic  insti- 
tutions of  learning  they  might  be  taught  free  of  all  expense. 
The  same  insidious  spirit  that  actuates  the  Papists  in  this 
country,  is  at  work  in  Great  Britain,  and  has  already  influ- 
enced the  minds  of  some  of  the  high  dignitaries  of  the 
Church  of  England.     Pusey,  and  others  of  the  Oxford  di- 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C  227 

vines,  have  artfully  laid  hold  on  the  doctrine  of  uninter- 
rupted Apostolic  Succession,  and  are  drawing  as  near  as 
possible,  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  Indeed,  it  plainly  ap- 
pears in  the  Oxford  Tracts,  that  they  have,  in  the  onset,  de- 
nounced the  very  name  of  Protestants,  and  rejected  Cran- 
mer,  Latimer,  Ridley,  Jewell,  and  others,  as  reformers,  and 
placed  them  before  the  world  as  schismatics  and  heretics  ; 
and  consequently  deny  them  the  honor  of  the  death  of  mar- 
tyrs ;  while  they  would  claim  for  themselves,  and  the 
Church  of  England,  the  name  of  Catholics  !  They  de- 
plore, and  greatly  lament  over,  the  Reformation,  that  fi- 
nally separated  England,  in  her  ecclesiastical  establish- 
ment, from  the  See  of  Rome.  And,  while  they  would 
preach  up  the  doctrine  of  tran-substantiation,  with  other 
absurdities  and  errors  of  Papacy— to  avoid  and  oppose 
which,  in  the  days  of  the  Reformation,  many  of  the  excel- 
lent of  the  earth  suffered  martyrdom — they  urge,  most 
vehemently  and  unblushingly,  a  speedy  return  and  sub- 
mission to  the  old  mother  of  abominations.  These  aie, 
no  doubt,  startling  truths  ;  and  need  something  more  to 
support  them  than  bare  assertion.  We,  therefore,  give  the 
following  testimony,  found  in  the  Methodist  Quarterly  Re- 
view, for  April,  1842,  p.  273 :  "The  Oxford  divines  now 
isolate  themselves  wholly,  from  the  great  Protestant  family, 
and  fearlessly  class  themselves  with  Papists,  and  other  cor- 
rupt Christian  communions.  With  them,  the  woid  Pro- 
testant is  synonomous  with  dissenters,  and  Catholic  stands 
for  the  divinely  authorized  form  of  Christianity ;  embracing 
the  Roman  communion,  the  Eastern  Churches,  and  the  En- 
glish Church  ;  (not  as  it  is,  exactly,  but)  as  it  ought  to 
be."  But  this  may  not  be  deemed  sufficient,  to  establish 
such  grave  matters,  as  we  find  it  in  a  Methodist  Quarterly 
Review — although  it  is  as  capable  of  truth  as  any  other 
Review — and,  therefore,  we  place  before  the  reader,  an  ex- 


228  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C 

tract  from  th  British  Critic  and  Quarterly  Theological  Re- 
view, No.  lix,  July,  1841  ;  and  No.  ix,  October,  1841,  Lon- 
don : 

"  These  three  hundred  years,  we  and  Rome  have  been 
fighting  about  the  question  of  precedence  in  the  schism  ; 
the  while  we,  at  least,  have  too  much  lost  sight  of  the  mel- 
ancholy and  startling  fact,  that  we  are  divided.  An  evil, 
however,  surely,  at  any  rate,  it  is  ;  a  most  grievous  penalty 
upon  sin  somewhere  ;  upon  the  corruption  which  provoked, 
or  the  sacrilege  v\rhich  assailed,  or  both  together. — We  talk 
of  the  blessings  of  emancipation  from  the  Papal  yoke,  and 
use  other  phrases  of  a  like  bold  and  undutiful  tenor.  Whe- 
ther this  true  freedom,  this  freedom  consistent  with  the 
most  unquestioning  obedience,  where  obedience  is  due;  has 
come  to  us  with  the  reformation,  we  will  not  here  discuss. 
Of  course,  we  believe  that  it  has  not ;  and  that,  free  though 
we  may  still  be  in  theory,  vi^e  have  yet  practically  lost  by  the 
change,  even  in  point  of  freedom.— But  a  yoke,  especially 
a  spiritual  yoke,  is,  of  itself,  no  necessary  evil.  We  trust, 
of  course,  that  active  and  visible  union  with  the  See  of 
Rome,  is  not  of  the  essence  of  a  church  :  at  the  same 
time,  we  are  deeply  conscious  that,  in  lacking  it,  far  from 
asserting  a  right,  we  forego  a  privilege."  British  Critic, 
July  No.,  pp.  2,  3. 

How  deep  the  groans  and  lamentations  of  the  Tractarians 
are,  for  the  separation  from  the  Church  of  Rome!  And  how 
earnestly  do  they  express  their  desire  to  return  to  her  bo- 
som; apparently  forgetting,  altogether,  her  anti-christian 
thirst  for  blood,  and  the  fact,  that  all  they  possess  of  learn- 
ing and  respectability,  they  owe  to  the  reformation.  For, 
if  the  old  Mother  had  them  in  her  embrace,  they  would 
have  been  rocked  to  sleep  in  ignorance  and  carnal  security; 
and  would,  in  all  probability,  have  been  nothing  more,  in 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C  229 

the  world  or  Church,  than  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of 
water.     Oh,  ungrateful  children  ! 

But,  to  define  their  position  still  better  and  to  show  that 
we  are  right,  in  the  statement  we  have  made,  we  quote  as 
follows:  "The  very  ^?7Zes  of  Bishop  Jewell's  works,  are 
enough  to  frighten  the  reader  who  is  in  search  of  edifica- 
tion. We  have  an  Apology,  and  a  Defence  of  an  Apology  , 
a  Challenge,  and  a  Vindication  of  a  Challenge  ;  a  Preface; 
in  answer  to  a  Detection  of  foul  Errors  ;  a  Protest  against 
a  Keturn  of  Untruth.  And  even  works  of  a  more  prorai 
sing  exterior,  such  as  Sermons  and  Commentaries,  are  of  a 
no  less  inflammatory  substance.  It  was  once  observed,  in 
the  pages  of  this  Review,  concerning  certain  writers,  that 
whatever  they  touch,  turns,  in  their  hands,  to  evidence. 
Certainly  it  may  be  said  of  Bishop  Jewell,  that,  whatever  he 
touches  turns  to  controversy.  His  works  are  like  nouns 
defective  in  all  cases  but  the  accusative."  British  Critic, 
July  No.,  p.  3. 

The  reader  wil  keep  in  mind  that  Bishop  Jewell  was  one 
of  our  bold  and  able  reformers  ;  who  did  much  in  his  day, 
in  the  pulpit  and  by  writing,  to  put  down  the  abominations 
of  Popery,  and  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  in  Great 
Britain.  But,  as  though  enough  had  not  been  said  in  op- 
position to  him,  and  the  holy  work  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged,  we  find  it  is  said:  "As  to  the  reformers,  I  think 
worse  and  worse  of  them.  Jewell  was,  what  you  would,  in 
these  days,  call  an  irreverent  disputer.  His  Defence  of  his 
Apology,  disgusted  me  more  than  almost  any  work  I  have 
read."  British  Critic,  July  No.,  p.  33.  This  speaks  plainly 
for  itself,  and  needs  no  comment.     But  again,  it  is  said  : 

'•  Well,  what  we  say  is,  that,  to  call  the  earlier  reformers^ 
martyrs,  is  to  beg  the  question  ;  which,  of  course,  Protes- 
tants do  not  consider  a  question ;  but  which  no  one,  pre- 
tending to  the  name  of  Catholic,  can  for  a  moment  think 


230  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C 

of  conceding  to  them,  viz:  whether  that  for  which  these 
persons  suffered,  were  the  truth.  "British  Critic,  July  No., 
p.  14.  And  here  we  have,  from  these  Catholics,  full- 
blooded  Catholics,  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church  of  England, 
a  full  denunciation  of  the  reformers,  and  the  glorious  refor- 
mation ;  that  Cranmer  and  others  did  not  suffer  for  the 
truth,  but  for  a  lie,  and  consequently  were  heretics  and 
schismatics.     This  conclusion  is  inevitable. 

But  once  more  we  must  give  a  quotation  from  Bishop 
Jewell  on  succession,  and  the  answer  thereto.  He  says, 
"This  is  M.  Harding's  holy  succession.  Though  faith  fall, 
yet  succession  must  hold.  But  St.  Paul  saith,  faith  cometh 
(not  by  succession,  but)  by  hearing ;  and  hearing  cometh 
(not  by  legacy  or  inheritance  from  Bishop  to  Bishop,  but) 
by  the  word  of  God."     D.  of  A.  p,  139. 

2.  Concerning  the   sacraments,  he  says  in  the   Apology; 
We  allow  the  sacraments,  that  is  to  say,  certain  holy  signs 
and  ceremonies,  which  Christ  would  have  us  use,  that  by 
them  he  might  set  before  men's  eyes,  the  mysteries  of  our 
salvation,  and  might  more  strongly  confirm  faith  &c.,  and 
might  seal  his  grace  in  our  hearts.     And  these  sacraments 
together  withTertullian,  Origen,  Ambrose,  (and  a  long  cat 
alogue  of  Fathers)  we  do  call  figures,  signs,  marks,  badges 
prints,  copies,  forms,  seals,  similitudes,  patterns,  represen 
tations,  remembrances,  and  memories."     D.  of  A.  p.  205 
British  Critic,  July,  No.  p.  39. 

Here  we  have  the  expressions  and  sentiments  of  a  true 
and  able  reformer,  concerning  succession  and  all  its  con- 
comitant evils;  all  of  which  goes  to  confirm  the  truth  that 
the  reformers  did  not  hold  -to,  but  did  despise,  the  false 
doctrine  of  succession. 

But  now  hear  the  answer  of  our  modern  Puseyite  Cath- 
olics, while  they  pretend  to  be  of  the  Church  of  England. 
V  Not  a  word,  in  this  fluent  enumeration,  of  the  direct  con- 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C  231 

veyance  of  divine  grace  by  the  sacrament.  Not  a  hint  at 
the  mysterious  virtue,  the  transforming,  invigorating  efficacy 
which  the  natural  elements  acquire  through  the  act  of  con- 
secration, and  of  which  they  are  the  appointed  media  to  the 
soul;  no  hindrance  of  unbelief  or  sin  being  interposed. 
Again,  observe  what  Archbishop  Whateley  callsthe  fallacy 
of  reference,  and  what  may  be  called  also,  the  fallacy  of 
suppression.  Doubtless,  all  these  fathers  say  that  the  sa- 
craments are  significant  and  commemorative.  But  do 
they  not  also  say,  that  they  are  operative,  in  every  unresist- 
ing subject,  of  certain  mysterious  effects  ?  British  Critic 
July,  No.  p.  39. 

Is  it  not  remarkable  that  there  is  not  one  word  in  answer 
to  Bishop  Jewell's  views  of  succession  ?  although  he  so 
positively  denies  the  truth,  or  necessity  of  it.  But  con- 
cerning the  holy  sacrament,  it  is  added; 

"This  word,  sacrament,  signifies  sometimes  a  holy  thing, 
spmetimes  the  sign  of  a  holy  thing,  instituted  by  God.  As 
it  is  taken  for  a  sign  only,  so  it  is  found  generally,  not  only 
in  the  new  law,  but  also  in  the  old  law.  But  in  the  old  law 
these  signs,  after  a  peculiar  and  special  manner^be  called  sa- 
craments, which  do  not  only  signify,  aholy  thing,butalso  do 
sanctify  and  make  holy  those  to  whom  they  are  adhibited; 
being  such  as  by  institution  of  Christ  containing  grace  in 
them,  and  power  to  sanctify." 

*'Yet  we  mean  that  they  (sacramental  signs)  contain 
grace,  and  power  to  sanctify,  after  such  manner  of  speaking 
as  we  say  of  potions  and  drinks  prepared  for  sick  persons 
that  they  contain  health,  to  the  working  whereof  they  be  ef- 
fectual. And  as  it  is  said  of  the  sacraments ,  that  they  con- 
tain grace,  so  is  it  likewise  said,  that  through  their  virtue, 
which  they  have  by  God's  institution,  they  do  not  only  sig- 
nify, (as  by  these  defenders'  doctrine  that  seemeth  to  be  their 
special  office)  but  also  with  signification  work  and  cause, 


232  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C 

as  an  instrumental  cause,  the  effect  of  that  which  they  sig- 
nify/' 

'•  What  then  ?  will  it  follow,  that  because  our  sacraments 
do  show  that  Christ  is  already  come,  therefore  our  sacra- 
ments give  no  grace  ?  He  that  eateth  Christ's  flesh,  show* 
eth  his  death,  saith  St.  Paul;  and  he  that  eateth  my  flesh, 
saith  Christ,  hath  life  everlasting.  Mark,  how  our  having 
life  goeth  together  with  our  showing  of  Christ's  death.  You 
divide  these  matters,  and  make  Christ's  sacraments  only  to 

be  shows." 

We  next  have  Bishop  Jewell's  answer;  ''You  have  mis- 
called St.  Paul,  M.  Harding:  these  are  not  his  words:  look 
better  to  your  books,  and  see  your  error.  If  I  had  some 
part  of  your  eloquence,  I  could  cry  out,  as  you  do,  Falsifiers 
and  Corrupters  of  God's  Word.  St.  Paul  saith  not,  he 
that  eateth  Christ's  flesh,  showeth  his  death.  You  deal 
untruly.  Thus  he  saith ;  ''  As  often  as  you  shall  eat  this 
bread  and  drink  this  cup,  you  shall  show  forth  the  Lord's 
death.''  The  bread  of  the  Sacrament  is  one  thing.  M. 
Harding,  and  the  flesh  of  Christ  is  another.  The  bread  en- 
tereth  only  into  the  bodily  mouth ;  Christ's  flesh  entereth 
into  the  soul.  Without  eating  that  bread  of  the  Sacrament, 
we  may  be  saved  ;  without  eating  Christ's  flesh,  we  can 
never  be  saved.  St.  Augustin  saith  precisely  :  '*  Qui  non 
sumit  carnem  Cristi  non  habet  vitam,  et  qui  eam  sumit 
habet  vitam  et  eam  utique  eternam  :  he  that  receiveth  not 
the  flesh  of  Christ,  hath  not  life  :  and  he  that  receiveth  the 
same  hath  life,  and  that  forever.  Again  he  saith  the  sacra- 
ment is  received  of  some  unto  life,  of  some  unto  destruc- 
tion ;  but  the  thing  itself  (that  is  the  flesh  of  Christ)  where- 
of the  sacrament  (or  bread)  is  a  sacrament,  is  received  of 
all  men  unto  life,  and  of  no  man  unto  destruction,  whoso- 
ever shall  be  a  partaker  of  it."     pp.  205,  208,  209. 

Again   he   saith,  "  Let  us  see  in  what  sense  the  holy 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C  233 

Catholic  fathers  have   expounded  these  words  of  Christ, 
This  is  my  body.     First  Tertullian  saith  thus  ;  Christus,  ac- 
ceptum  panem,  et  distributum  discipulis  corpus  suum,  il- 
ium fecit  dicendo  ;  hoc  est  corpus  meum,  hoc  est  figura  cor- 
poris mei:  Christ  taking  the  bread  and  dividing  it  to  his 
disciples  made  it  his  body,  saying,  this  is  my  body,  this  is 
to  say,  this  a  figure  of  my  body.     St.  Augustin  saith,  our 
Lord  doubted  not  to  say,  this  is  my  body,  when  he  gave  a 
token  of  his  body.     The  thing  that  signifieth,  is  commonly 
called  by  the  name  of  that  thing  that  is  signified.     There- 
fore is  it,  that  St.  Paul  saith :  the  Rock  was  Chist.     For  he 
saith    not,   the  rock   signified   Christ   (but  the  rock  was 
Christ)    as    if  the    rock   had  been  Christ  indeed,  whereas 
touching  the  substance  it  was  not  so;  but  so  it  was  by  sig- 
nification."    Defence  p.  428. 

Thus  we  find  the  Catholics,  in  the  days  of  the  reforma. 
tion,  contended  that,  in  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
supper,  the  bread  and  wine  were  literally  changed,  by  the 
mysterious  power  of  consecration,  into  the  natural  body  of 
Christ ;  and  thus,  that  any  Bishop,  or  Priest,  could  make 
his  body.  The  ministers  of  the  reformation  denied  such 
absurd  and  unscriptural  notions  ;  and  contend  according  to' 
God's  holy  word,  that  after  consecration,  as  well  as  before, 
the  bread  was  bread,  and  wine  was  wine  ;  and  that  they 
were  only  intended  to  be  used  as  signs  or  symbols,  of  his 
blessed  body  and  blood. 

Again.  The  Catholics  contended  that  in  some  mysterious 
way,  the  holy  sacrament  imparted  grace,  and  had  power 
in  itself  to  sanctify  the  soul ;  thus,  placing  the  virtue  in 
the  sign,  instead  of  the  thing  signified.  And  thus  we  find 
through  the  whole  of  their  views  of  religion,  runs  the  same 
destructive  error:  fixing  on,  and  holding  to,  their  form  of 
religion,  while  in  reality  they  denied  the  power.  But  this 
we  find  was  also  opposed  by  our  worthy  refoimers  ;  while 
30 


234  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C 

they  insisted  we  were  to  look  to  Christ  by  faith;  to  eat  hiS' 
flesh  aad,^  drink  his  blood  by  faith;  and  thus,  partaking 
spiritually,  of  the  merits  of  his  death,  we  should  live  by 
him.  And  it  will  be  kept  in  mind,  that  the  Oxford  divines 
have  taken  up,  and  hold  to  the  -Catholic  side  ,  qjad,  to  their 
everlasting  disgrace,  denounced  the  reformers  who  suffered 
so  much  to''put  down  the  new  found,  and  destructive  errors: 
of  Popery,  as  founded  on  their  presumed  divine  authority 
from  the  Apostles.  We  say  "new  found,"  because  they 
were  not  so  much  as  heard  of,  for  hundreds  of  years,  after 
the  Apostles  had  entered  into  the  rest  of  their  Lord;  as  has 
been  fully  established  by  Bishop  Jewel  and  others,  in  the* 
days  of  the  reformation. 

But  lest  it  might  be  supposed,  that  the  reviewer  with  the 
rest  of  his  tractarian  brethren,  did  not  wish  after  all,  to  go- 
back  to  Popery,  but  simply  to  reform,  in  their  way,  the 
church  of  England,  to  which  they  pretend  to  belong;  we 
think  it  necessary  to  make  the  following  quotation. 

**  There  cannot,  however,  be  a  doubt,  that,  serious  as  all 
the  impediments  in  the  way  of  our  speedy  return,  as  a  na- 
tion to  the  old  paths,  (that  is  to  the  abomination  of  Rome] 
these  impediments  would  be  multiplied  a  hundred  fold, 
were  the  church  of  England  to  be  considered  as  in  any  de- 
gree pledged,  to  the  private  opinions,  or  individual  acts,  of 
her  so  called  reformers.  One  does  not  see  how,  in  ibat  case, 
persons,  who  feel  with  Mr.  Frond's  editors,  that  the  lines 
respectively  of  Catholic  antiquity,  and  of  the  English  refor- 
mation [except  so  far  as  the  genius  of  the  latter  has  been 
overruled  by  influence  extrinsic  to  the  opinions  and  wish- 
es of  its  promoters)  are  not  only  diverging,  but  opposed.** 
British  Critic  July,  No.  p.  28.         ^ 

Again  the  reviewer  proceeds. 

"  Quite  lately  a  third  party  has  sprung  up,  of  persons 
who  have  the  boldness  to  admit  the  substantial  accuracy, 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C     '  235 

of  the  view  which  we  have  just  now  supposed,  of  the  Eng- 
lish reformation  and  reformers  ;  but  who  consider,  never- 
theless, that  such  a  view  is  perfectly  compatable  with  the 
strenuous  maintenance  of  chaiacteristically  Catholic  doc- 
trine, and  even  with  a  dutiful  attachment  to  our  own 
branch  of  the  church.  This  paity  may  be  repiesented  in 
the  preface  to  the  second  part  of  Mr.  Frond's  Remains. 

"  One  advantage,  among  others,  of  such  a  view,  if  it  will 
hut  hold,  strikes  us  as  being  that  of  its  tendency  to  remove 
points  of  disunion,  as  well  as  to  clear  the  ground  of  discus- 
sion,  with  very  opposite  parties;  the  Catholics  of  another 
communion,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  dissenters  and  advo- 
cates  of  Protestantism,  on  the  other.     One,  among  many, 
subjects  of  contention    between  members  of  the  Anglican 
Church,  and  those  exterior  to  it  on  both  sides,  or  those  who, 
though  within  it,  incline,  in  sentiment,  to  bodies  without 
it,  has  undoubtedly  been  that  of  the  opinions  of  the  English 
reformers.     The  Anglicans  have  ever  been  jealous  8f  the 
reputation  of  their  divines;  and  have  accordingly  resented 
the  accounts  given  of  them,  from  two  opposite  sides,   with 
all   the  keenness   of  persons  attacked  in  their  tenderest 
point.     JNow,  here  is  a  view,    (whether  tenable  or  not, J 
which  would  enable  us  to  allow  all  that  Protestants  can  de- 
sire on  the  one  hand,  and  Roman   Catholics  on  the  other, 
concerningthe  peculiar  character  of  the  reformers'  opinions; 
and  he  must,  indeed,  be  a  lover  of  controversy  for  its  own 
sake,  who  does  not  turn  with  pleasure,  in  the  midst  of  an 
arduous  and  unpromising  struggle,  to  the  prospect  of  a  ref- 
uge at  once   so  fleasant  and  so  secure ;  so  conducive  to 
peace,    yet  so  consistent  with  dignity;  so  happy  in  its  pres- 
ent effects,  and  so  nromising  in  its  bearing  upon  the  future 
course   of  the   engagement,   as  that  of  a  safe  concession. 
Here  is  a  view,  which  has   the   rare,  if  not  the  singular,  ad- 
vantage,   of  presenting  a  point  of  union  to  those    parties, 


236  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C 

who  are  united  in  little,  if  in  any  thing,  else  ;  the  Protes- 
tant,  the  Anglican,  and  the  Roman  Catholic.  In  vain,  from 
this  time  forth,  shall  the  'Record'  serve  up,  week  after  week 
phoice  morsels  of  Cranmer's  erastianism;  or  the  '  Tablet' 
twit  us  (if  so  be)  with  Jewel  irreverence.  Here  is  a 
view  which  promises  us  the  power  of  upholding  Pope  Hil- 
debrand  and  the  See  of  St.  Peter,  for  all  the  reformers  de- 
nied tbo  supremacy  of  the  church  ;  and  of  ministering  in 
popes,  for  all  they  thought  even  surplices  of  the  essence  of 
anti-christ."     British  Critic,  July  No,  pp.  30  31. 

In  this  we  have  the  position  of  the  Tractarians — or   the 
Puseyites — of  England,  clearly  defined.     They     hold     the 
great  reformer,  (Arch-Bishop  Cranmer)  of  whom  the  church 
of  England   has  so  long  boasted,  an  Erastian,  viz :  as   be- 
longing to  a  sect  that  had  Thomas  Erastus  for  its  head   or 
leader;  and  the  worthy  Bishop  Jewel — whose    writings, 
stand   so    much  in   their  way — an    irreverent   dissenter. 
Both  the  reformation  and  the  reformers,  appear  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly obnoxious  to  them  ;  while  at  the  same  time  they 
now  openly  avow  their  wish,  that  the  church  of  England, — 
yea,  the  whole  nation — would  return,  with  humble  conces- 
sions, to  the  secret,  pure,  peaceful,    holy  and  loving   old 
mother,  who  long  since,  hath,  through  her  great  love  where- 
with she  hath  loved  old  England,  had  her  garments  washed* 
and  highly  perfumed  with  the  blood,  and  tears,  of  many  of 
her  worthiest  sons  and  loveliest  daughters.     They  think  that 
he  must  love  controversy  for  its  own  sake,  who  would  op- 
pose this  return;  as  it  could  be  done  with  so  much  dignity 
on  the  ground  of  humble  concession,  and  with  a  prospect  of, 
so  much  security  and  pleasure.     There  truly  we  might,  ac. 
cording  to  their  view,  be  secure,  from  pains,  and  penalties, 
racks,  and  gibbets,  faggots,  and  all  the  bloody  inquisitions  ; 
and   might  ,also,    have   the    unspeakable  pleasure  of  kis. 
jng  the  Pope's  toe,  and  of  letting  him  tread  upon  our  necks  ! 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C  237 

Oh  pleasure,  pleasure  !  why  does  not  the  whole  world  re- 
turn ? 

But,  after  all,  is  it  not  surprising,  that  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  when  the  precious  light  of  the  gospel  is   shining  in 
its  meridian  splendor  ;  and  old  England  blessed  as  she  is, 
with  so  many  wise,  zealous,  and  religious  sons,  such  bold 
disorganizers  of  church  and  state,  such  daring  pretenders  to 
membership  in  the  church  of  England,  while  they  openly 
oppose  her,  in  the  reformation,  the  very  foundation  of  all 
her  liberty,  and  prosperity,  civil    and  religious  ;  should  be 
suffered  to  propagate  their  errors,  or  in  any  wise  tolerated 
as  members   of  her  communion  ?  much  less  be  permitted 
to  minister  at  her  altar.     But   the  answer  is  ready.     The 
reason  for  all  this  that  threatens  destruction    to  the  whole 
kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  by  bringing  back  Popery,   with 
all  its  hateful  anti-christian  tyranny,  and  dark  superstitions, 
and  once  more  to  make  ignorance  the  mother  of  devotion; 
we  say  the  reason  is,  that,  the  Church  of  England  has  taken 
up  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  Succession,  and  claimed  it  for 
herself,  for  the  purpose,    as  we  conceive,  of  sustaining  her 
own  superior  dignity  over  dissenting  christians  ;  who  have 
in  truth,  as  much  claim  to  it  as  herself,  or  even  the  Church 
of  Rome.     And  it  is  on  this  ground,  and  for  this  cause 
that  many  of  her  ministers  and  some  of  those  high  in  office, 
have  lent  a  patient  ear,  and  have  already,  manifested  their 
approbation,  instead  of  their  displeasure,  to  the  disorganiz- 
ing doctrine  of  the  tractarians.     And  should  this  principle, 
or   doctrine  'prevail,  then  shall    ichahod—''  the  glory  has 
departed"— be  written  upon  the  escutcheon  of  old  England's 
once  glorious  reformation,   and  the  scenes  of  the  days  of 
bloody  Queen  Mary  be  acted  over  again. 

But  we  will  turn  from  this  fearful  picture,  and  not  suffer 
ourselves  to  think  for  a  moment,  that,  there  is  not  a  suffi 
mni  number,  oTwise  and  evangelical  men,  to  rise  up,  and 


238  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C 

in  the  strength  of  the  great  captain  of  their  salvation,  hurl 
from  the  church,  and  the  nation,  the  insidious,  and 
treacherous  serpent,  that  has  been  striving  to  crush  them  in 
its  folds.  And  may  we  not  hope  that  the  church  of  Eng- 
land,  will  still  cherish  in  her  memory,  with  sentiments  of 
gratitude  and  love,  the  names  of  the  reformers  ?  the  holy 
men  of  God  who  laboured,  suffered,  and  died  in  the  cause 
of  truth,  for  her  establishment.  And  may  we  not  further 
expect,  that  she  shall  be  so  enabled,  by  the  spirit  of  divine 
grace,  not  only  to  go  on  and  prosper  as  she  has  done  here- 
tofore, in  all  her  laudable  efforts  to  do  good,  at  home,  and 
abroad  ;  for  which  thousands  have  risen  up  to  call  her  bles- 
sed ;  but  that  she  will  hand  down  to  the  latest  generation, 
the  pure  doctrines  of  the  reformation  unsullied?  For,  in 
so  doing,  she  will  confer  blessings  on  thousands  of  the  hu- 
man family  yet  unborn. 

In  the  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  and  in  some  sense,  in 
the  bosom  of  the  established  church,  there  are  thousands  of 
Methodists,  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  and  others,  who  are  all 
interested  in  this  grave  matter  ;  and  who  no  doubt,  with  the 
evangelical  party  in  the  establishment,  will  continue  to 
besiege  a  blood-besprinkled  throne  of  grace.  And,  in  this 
we  may  have  more  confidence,  than  in  any  thing  else  that 
man  can  do  ;  for  the  fervent  prayers  of  the  righteous  shall 
prevail  with  God,  and  he  will  make  one  chase  a  thousand, 
and  two  put  ten  thousand  to  flight. 

It  is  not  only  in  the  church  of  England,  that  this  infection 
from  Papal  Rome  has  broken  out ;  but,  it  has  made  its  ap- 
pearance recently,  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  this 
country.  It  is  true,  that  in  all  probability,  she  has  pre- 
tended from  the  beginning,  to  claim  the  benefit  of  succes- 
sion, as  she  obtained  her  ordination  from  the  church  of 
England  ;  but  she  has  been  rather  modest  on  the  subject 
and  has  said  but  little,  till  emboldend  by  the  English  trac- 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  ScC  239 

larians,  to  come  out  more  fully,  and  as  might  be  supposed 
with  them,  to  hope  for  a  speedy  reunion  with,  and  humble 
submission  to,  the  church  of  Rome. 

But  might  it  not  be  asked  ;  Can  it  be  possible,  that  there- 
are  any  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and  especially 
among  her  high  dignataries,  that  have  given  any  ground  for 
even  a  surmise,  that  they  were  in  any  wise  disposed  to 
return  to  the  bosom  of  Papacy?  with  all  its  abomination  star- 
ing them  in  the  face,  and  the  blood  of  God's  dearest  children 
still  dripping  from  its  garments.  As  astonishing  as  this 
may  be,  it  is  true,  if  we  can  believe  a  Review  of  Palmer's 
Treatise  on  the  church  in  New  York  ;  Review  for  January 
1842,     See  M.  Q.  R,  April  No.  1842. 

Here  he  says  in  his  Review,  as  touching  the  Roman 
Church,  and  in  relation  to  a  re-union  with  her:  "Under 
these  contradictory  feelings,  nothing  is  harder,  to  the  right- 
minded  Christian,  than  to  use  language  toward  the  Church 
of  Rome,  at  once  respectful  enough  for  its  orthodox  truths, 
and  yet  condemnatory  enough  for  its  unscriptural  false- 
hood. We  can  hardly  speak  in  any  terms  of  it,  without 
either  wounding  charity  or  wounding  truth.  In  its  apostolic 
ministry,  in  its  primitive  orthodoxy,  and  sacraments  of 
grace,  we  number  it  as  among  the  pillars  of  that  temple, 
which  God,  and,  not  man,  hath  builded  ;  but  alas  for  the 
worm  at  its  heart !  its  bigotry,  its  corruption,  and  its  spirit 
of  worldly  domination.  Yet,  even  these,  are  not  the  im- 
passable gulf.  Not  for  her  corrupt  doctrines  or  practices, 
does  she  stand  at  such  an  illimitable  distance  from  the  true 
Catholic  Christian ;  these  might  be  reformed;  or,  even  as 
they  stand  are  not  necessarily  repugnant  to  the  vital  graces 
and  growth  of  the  Christian  ;  nor  yet  for  her  bigotry,  as  ari- 
sing from  ignorance  and  false  zeal.  For  this,  Christian  edu- 
cation, and  the  light  of  God's  truth,  and  the  exercise  of  a 
more   reflecting  reason,   might  suffice   to    alter:    nor  yet 


240  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &.C 

again,  evil  andunehristian  as  that  is,  is  the  spirit  of  worldly 
domination  the  impassable  obstacle  ;  for  that,  too,  as  it  was 
the  growth  of  ignorance  and  a  dark  age,  so,  too,  under  the 
spirit  of  a  more  enlightened  one,  might  it  stand  rebuked 
and  corrected.  Not  for  these,  therefore,  do  we  feel  con- 
strained to  hold  aloof  from  all  contact  with  the  Church  of 
Rome;  but  because  she  has  bound  herself,  by  oath,  never  to 
cease  to  contemn  all  other  claims  to  the  Christian  name, 
and  trampling  them  under  foot,  id  hold  all  who  yield  not 
continued  submission  to  Rome,  as  anathematized,  and  be- 
yond the  pale  of  salvation,'  pp.  142,  143. 

Here  it  may  be  noticed,  that  the  reviewer  confesses  there 
is  a  worm  at  the  very  heart  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
that  she  is  under  the  influence  of  bigotry  and  corruption, 
and  is  governed  by  a  spirit  of  worldly  domination ;  and  all 
growing  out  of  ignorance,  contracted  in  a  dark  age.  And 
no  one  can  wonder  at  such  an  acknowledgement;  inas- 
much as  it  is  known  to  all  men,  that  such  has  been  the 
fiery  bigotry  of  the  Roman  Church,  that  she  has  persecu- 
ted and  destroyed  with  fire  andswoid,  in  the  most  unrelent' 
ing  manner,  hundreds  and  thousands  of  the  most  excellent 
of  the  earth.  That  such  was,  and  is,  her  corruption  in 
doctrine  and  practice,  that,  to  the  present  day,  she  is  loath- 
some and  detestible  beyond  all  description;  and  that,  such 
indeed,  is  her  proud  spirit,  and  worldly  domination,  that  she 
would  not  only  anathematize  and  curse,  with  bell,  book, 
and  candle-light,  all  who  dare  to  oppose  her  abominations  ; 
but  had  she  power,  even  in  these  United  States,  she  would 
put  to  the  rack,  and — as  in  former  days,  and  in  other  coun- 
tries—would destroy,  by  fire  and  faggot,  all  who  might 
dare  to  dissent  from  her.  And  all  this,  confessedly,  because 
she  has  a  worm  at  her  heart;  which,  undoubtedly,  is  the 
abhorred  doctrine  of  Succession,  by  which,  in  her  ignorance, 
she  claims  divine  right,  through  the  apostles,  to  lord  it  o\ei 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C  241 

« 

God's  heritage.  But,  after  all  this,  it  is  the  opinion  of  the 
reviewer,  that  she  is  to  be  reverenced  as  the  pillar  of  truth;' 
as  possessing  apostolic  orthodoxy  and  sacraments  of  grace  ; 
and  consequently,  would  she  give  up  her  oath  to  persecute 
all  others,  to  hold  in  utter  detestation,  all  who  do  not  bow 
to  her  ghostly  domination,  there  would  be  no  impassible 
gulf  between  her  and  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
a  re-union  might,  after  all,  take  place.  That  is  to  say,  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is  seeking  after,  and  is  anxious, 
on  her  part,  for  an  amalgamation  with  the  Church  of  Rome  ; 
and  that  it  could  easily  take  place,  if  she  would  give  up 
her  opposition. 

It  is  true,  and  we  are  free  to  confess  it,  that,  notwith- 
standing all  the  superstition  and  absurdities  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  she  has  had,  and  no  doubt,  still  has,  in 
her  communion,  many  excellent  christians  ;  and  that  it  is 
grievous  to  the  true  Christian,  to  speak  of  her  according  to 
her'true  condition.  And  it  is  to  be  wished,  that,  for  their 
sake,  it  could  be  avoided ;  but  she  has  declared  her  sin  as 
Sodom,  and  her  transgression  as  Gomorrah,  and  it  is  im- 
possible to  hide  it.  In  speaking  of  her,  therefore,  we  have 
to  do  it— in  despite  of  the  most  perfect  Christian  charity — 
as  she  stands  confessedly  before  the  whole  world,  the  mother 
of  harlots  and  abominations. 

And  why  is  it,  after  all,  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  is  so  very  desirous  of  a  re-union  with  Papacy  ?  Is 
it  because  she  has,  of  late,  discovered  that  she  bears  such  a 
striking  resemblance  to  her  old  mother  ?  Or  is  it  not, 
more  especially,  that,  like  her,  she  claims  the  doctrine  of 
succession  ;  and,  therefore,  is  influenced  by  the  proud  spirit 
of  worldly  domination  ?  and  that"  she  has  found,  by  long 
experience,  she  cannot,  without  such  a  union,  gain  that  as- 
cendency in  this  country,  which  appears  to  be  so  desirable, 
or  that  alone  can  gratify  her  high  ambition  to  be  looked 
31 


242  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C. 

npon  as  the  only  true  Church  of  Christ.  It  must  be  on  thisP 
account,  that  she  hails  with  such  joy,  the  errors  of  Oxford, 
and  is  prepared  already  to  say,  through  her  accredited 
organs,  that,  "  One  fact,  at  least,  must  stand  unquestioned, 
and  that  is,  that  in  no  portion  of  Christendom,  are  these 
principles  of  a  true  Catholic  Church,  making  a  more  rapid 
progress,  or  a  higher  stand  than  here."  New  York  Review,- 
January  No.,  p.  139. 

Here  it  is  to  be  noticed,  that,  by  the  principles  of  a  true 
Catholic  Church,  are  to  be  understood  the  errors  of  Popery 
long  since  discarded  by  the  Protestant  world  ;  but  of  late 
adopted  and  contended  for,  by  the  schismatical  Oxford  Di- 
vines ,  who  are  doing  all  in  their  power,  to  overturn  the 
Established  Church  of  England.  It  is  this  "  abomination 
that  maketh  desolate,"  that  is  making  such  *'  rapid  pro- 
gress," and  ''  taking  such  a  high  stand"  in  this  country. 
But  it  is  a  matter  of  great  thankfulness  to  God,  that  it 
is  only  so  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church ;  and  it 
may  be  hoped,  that  the  evangelical  part  of  that  Church, 
will  be  able  successfully  to  resist  all  such  disgraceful  as- 
saults upon  the  pure  principles  of  Protestantism.  But  that 
we  may  not  be  misunderstood,  and  that  the  proper  position 
of  high  churchmen  be  clearly  defined,  we  make  the  follow- 
ing quotations  from  the  Churchman,  and  other  kindred  pe- 
riodicals, as  found  recorded  in  M.  Q.  R.  April  No.,  1842, 
p.  296. 

"  We  hold  tradition  to  be  interpretative  of  Scripture;  and 
that  any  tradition  coming  upon  the  same  testimony  as  an 
Apostolic  epistle,  (for  the  canon  of  Scripture  depends  upon 
traditive  testimony)  is  of  equal  divine  sanction.  We  ad- 
mit that  hades  is  a  purgatory,  i.  e.,  a  place  of  rest;  where 
the  faithful,  in  incipient  bliss,  are  cleansed  from  passions, 
and  adhering  carnalities,  and  prepared  for  heaven,  by  being, 
perfected  in  holiness  ;  not  denying  that  the  Eucharistic  sa- 


OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C  243 

<^rifice,  as  also  the  prayers  of  the  faithful  here,  profitAhemy 
they  being  part  of  the  Catholic  Church.  We  admit  the  effi- 
cacy of  the  sacraments  fully,  as  anciently  taught.  We 
hold  the  high  sacramental  character  of  orders  and  matri- 
mony. In  penance,  there  is  outward  sign  of  Apostolic 
institution.  Unction  we  admit,  upon  a  passage  in  St. 
James.  Exorcism  we  confess  is  Catholic.  The  Reforma- 
tion did  more  injury,  by  far,  to  the  Church  Catholic,  than 
did  ever  the  persecutions  of  Paganism  ;  the  "  utterly  unten- 
able Protestant  ground"  on  "  the  authority  of  tradition; 
the  pernicious  Protestant  Solofidian  doctrine"  of  ''  justifi- 
calion  by  faith.  Far  from  being  grieved  or  scandalized,  to 
hear  that  attempts  have  been  made,  in  the  University  of 
Oxford,  to  encourage  auricular  confession,  (sit  venia  ver- 
bi !)  [i.  e.,  the  word  may  be  admitted,,'  we  rejoice  at  it,  as 
the  omen  of  a  brighter  day,  in  her  history." 

After  this,  we  need  no  more,  to  assure  us  of  the  native 
tendency  of  the  doctrine  of  succession.  For,  here,  the 
successionists  in  this  country,  as  well  as  in  the  kingdom  of 
Great  Britain,  hold  to,  and  openly  contend  for,  traditionary 
interpolation  of  Scripture,  for  the  cleansing  virtues  of  pur- 
gatory ;  instead  of  relying  wholly  on  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ,  which  alone  can  cleanse  and  sanctify ;  as  well  as 
the  virtue  aud  efficacy  of  the  prayers  of  the  Church,  for  the 
dead  who  are  in  purgatory,  by  whose  fires  they  are  to  be 
made  holy.  Transuhstantiation  and  unction  they  readily 
admit.  Exorcism  (or  the  enchantment  by  which  evil  spirits 
are  driven  away, )  peyz<2?ice,  oxidi  auricular  confession,  with 
many  other  destructive  errors  of  Popery  ;  while  they  deny 
the  pure  and  scriptural  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith, 
with  the  name  Protestant,  and  claim  for  themselves  the 
name  Catholic.  In  all  honesty,  we  think  these  men  should 
at  once  leave  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,,  and  go  to 
the  Roman   Catholic  Church,  to  which  they  evidently  be- 


244  OXFORD  DIVINES,  &C 

long.  They  are  not  Protestants  ;  they  are  not  worthy  of 
that  much,  and  deservedly,  venerated  name ;  but  are  truly 
Roman  Catholics,  and  to  them  they  should  go.  Who  would 
have  supposed,  until  it  was  openly  confessed,  that  such 
false  doctrines  necessarily  stand  connected  'with,  or  grew 
out  of,  the  notion  of  Apostolic  Succession  ?  But  now,  the 
whole  matter  is  made  too  plain  to  admit  of  a  shadow  of 
doubt ;  and  goes  far  to  explain  why  it  is,  that  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  can  occupy  the  pulpits  of  other  de- 
nominations, but  will  not  admit  her  ministers,  in  anywise, 
to  use  their  churches,  or  to  minister  at  their  altars.  Here 
is  the  reason  why  she  is  so  very  exclusive  as  to  claim  to  be 
the  only  true  Church  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  denounce 
and  anathematize  all  other  bodies  of  Christians.  And  no 
one  can  seriously  doubt,  that  these  false  notions  of  sus- 
cession,  that  would  adopt  the  hateful  and  ruinous  absurdi- 
ties of  Popery,  and  would  be  so  gladly  amalgamated  with 
it,  would  also,  if  it  possibly  could,  unite  with  the  Church  of 
Rome,  to  burn  and  butcher  all  who  would  not  bow  with 
humble  submission  to  its  exclusive  claims.  This  we  do 
not  say  of  the  Church  generally ;  as  there  is  a  worthy  evan, 
gelical  party  in  it,  who  are  as  far  from  a  spirit  of  intolerance 
as  any  other  Christian  men.  We  speak  only  of  the  high 
church  party,  that  contend  for  the  Popish  doctrine  of  sue* 
aessioji* 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  DOCTRINE,  &C  245 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Effects  of  the  doctrine   of  Succession.     Results  of  the  Reformation. 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  said,  *'by  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them  ;"  and  the  same  truth  extends  also  to  doctrines. 
They  are   known  to  be  either  true,  or  false,  by  the  conse- 
quences which  naturally  result  from  them.    Hence  the  doc- 
trines taught  by  our  great  Redeemer,  are  manifestly  of  God; 
inasmuch  as  their  native  tendency  is  to  purify  the  hearts, 
and  consciences  of  men,  and  to  fit  them  for  the  enjoyment 
cf  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light.     While  on  the  oth- 
er hand,  the  claim  of  divine  authority  on  the  supposition  of 
the  Apostolic  Succession,  naturally  tends  to  feed  the  worst 
principles  of  fallen  human  nature,  and  fit  it  the  more  per- 
fectly, for  every  evil  word  and  work ;  as  is  evident  from  its 
effects,  from  its  first  introduction  to  the  present  day.     What 
could  exceed  the  arrogance  of  Gregory,  whom  the  Cathol- 
ics have  honored  with  the  title  of  Great?  although  he  had 
no  pretensions  to  profound  learning  or  piety.     Indeed,  many 
of  the  Popes  and  Bishops,  as  well  as  Monks,  and  Friars,  ap- 
pear to   have  been  so  ignorant,  as  scarcely  to  know  any 
thing  concerning  the  duties  of  their  office  ;  or  even,  of  that 
holy  religion  which  they  pretended  to  profess.     Hence,  we 
find  them— for  the  purpose  of  preparing  themselves  for  a 
better  world— repairing  to  a  wilderness  ;  living  in  dens  and 
caves  of  the  earth ;  standing  upon  pillars,  and  using  flagel- 
lation, with  many  other  absurdities ;  all  of  which  is  as  con- 
trary to  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  as  it  is  to  reason  and  com- 
mon sense.     And  the  pride  and  ignorance  so  abundantly 
manifest  in  the  sixth  centary,  may  be  traced  in  the  Popes, 
and  inferior  clergy  through  each  succeeding  century,down 


246  EFFECTS  OF  THE  DOCTRINE 

to  the  present  time.  And  while  this  has  been  the  case, 
with  such  as  pretend  to  have  divine  authority  as  pastors  of 
the  flock  of  Christ,  whose  business  it  should  have  been  to 
feed  and  not  to  destroy ;  what  must  have  been  the  condi- 
tion of  the  common  people,  who  were  kept  from,  and  strict- 
ly forbidden  to  read,  the  holy  scriptures  !  It  is  well  known, 
wherever  this  is  the  case,  gross  daikness,  superstition  and 
ignorance  must  prevail ;  all  of  which  appear  to  be  neces- 
sary to  keep  up  and  sustain  the  authority  of  an  ignorant 
and  profligate  clergy,  who  thought  of  but  little  else  than  ag. 
grandizing  themselves,  by  promoting  the  doctrine  of  purga- 
tory, relicks  and  indulgences  ;  which,  notwithstanding  their 
glaring  absurdities,  were,  through  the  ignoianceof  the  peo- 
ple, readily  received,  and  dearly  paid  for.  These  things 
not  only  filled  their  coffers,  and  enabled  the  priests  to  rev- 
el in  their  licentiousness  ;  but  also  completely  enabled 
them  to  maintain  their  ghostly  dominion  over  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  their  fellow  men.  Peihaps  it  is  impos- 
sible for  men,  who  have  been  all  their  lives  blessed  with 
the  privilege  of  reading  the  holy  scriptures,  to  understand 
fully  the  want  of  that  privilege.  But  by  looking  into  the 
heathen  world,  and  beholding  men,  worshipping  stocks, 
and  stones,  reptiles,  and  fountains  of  water ;  and  yet  more 
especially  beholding  the  Roman  Catholic  church  in  her 
ignorance  and  blind  superstition,  prostrating  herself  before 
the  mass,  images  of  pretended  saints,  and  relics,  consist- 
ing sometimes  of  the  leg-bone  of  a  monkey,  or  the  jaw-bone 
of  an  ass  ;  with  the  many  errors,  and  absurdities,  in  which 
her  members  are  involved  for  a  want  of  a  knowledge  of  the 
word  of  God,  we  may  understand  enough  to  make  us  believe, 
that  heavy  indeed  will  be  the  curse  that  shall  finally  be 
poured  forth  upon  those,  who  have  been  the  cause  of  with- 
holding the  fountain  of  light  and  knowledge,  designed  in 
infinite  mercy  for  all  mankind.  More  especially  will  this 
be   the    case,     since  they    have    made    the  doctrine    of 


OF  SUCCESSION  247 

uninterrupted  Apostolic  succession— which  they  pretend 
is  found  in  God's  revealed  word — the  foundation,  on  which 
the  prohibition  rests,  with  all  its  dread  consequences. 

Religion,  which  is  from  Christ  the  gracious  Redeemer 
of  men,  has  no  ignorance,  superstition,  or  sin,  attached  to 
it  in  any  sense  ;  but  is  every  way  calculated  to  enlighten  the 
minds  of  men.  It  meets  their  reason,  their  affections,  and 
supplies  their  wants;  and  in  every  way  proves,  that  it  is 
suited  to,  and  calculated  to  improve,  their  condition,  in 
time  and  in  eternity.  And,  were  it  always  presented  in  its 
native  beauty,  it  could  but  charm  the  mind  and  captivate 
the  affections.  But,  the  ignorance  and  mummery,  set  forth 
by  the  church  of  Rome,  under  the  pretensions  of  Christian- 
ity, are  only  calculated  to  make  such  as  have  not  lost  all 
power  of  reasoning,  the  most  perfect  infidels  concerniilg 
Christ.  And  this  is  the  reason,  no  doubt,  why  many  in 
Catholic  countries,  under  the  influence  of  Popery,  have 
openly  rejected  religion  in  its  Papal  garb  ;  and  proclaim- 
ed themselves  atheists.  Some  of  the  Popes  themselves,  be- 
cause of  their  ignorance  of  the  holy  scriptures  have  not  on- 
ly denied  the  doctrine  of  future  rewards  and  punishments, 
but  also  of  a  future  state  of  existence  ;  maintaining,  that  af- 
ter death,  we  are  no  more  than  the  beasts  that  perish. 
And,  one  at  least,  it  is  said,  went  into  a  grave  and  sacrificed 
to  the  devil  !  And  who,  that  has  the  least  pretensions  to 
literature  does  not  know,  that  it  was  the  Catholic  abomina- 
tions, that  caused  France  at  one  time,  to  proclaim  her  in- 
fidelity, by  tying  the  Bible  to  the  tail  of  an  ass,  to  be  thus 
dragged  through  the  streets  ?  while  on  the  other  hand,  they 
worshipped  a  lewd  woman,  as  the  representation  of  the 
Goddess  of  Liberty,  and  dared  to  proclaim  openly  that 
there  was  no  God.  And,  although  France  has  been,  after 
a  long  and  dreary  night,  measurably  redeemed ;  yet  Italy 
the  very  seat  of  Popery,  is  involved  in   heathenism  and  in- 


248  EFFECTS  OF  THE  DOCTRINE 

fidelity  down  to  the  present  day.  It  is  true,  there  is  a  part 
of  the  community  who  call  themselves  Catholics  ;  while 
they  despise  Popery  with  all  its  absurdities,  and  are  so  far 
saved  from  either  extreme,  that  they  desire  to  be  enlighten- 
ed with  the  pure  word  of  God  ;  and  might,  no  doubt,  were 
they  assisted  as  they  should  be  by  benevolent  christians, 
become  the  means  of  redeeming  Italy  from  her  deep  sla- 
very and  degradation.  But  it  is  nevertheless  true,  that  the 
common  people  who  are  ignorant  of  letters,  and  the  pure 
doctrines  of  the  Bible,  worship  relics,  the  host,  processions 
and  images,  &c.,  Justin  the  same  spirit,  and  with  the  same 
undeistanding,  that  the  darkest  heathens  do  their  images 
and  idol  Gods.  And  this  constitutes  all  they  know  con- 
cerning Christianity.  "While  the  learned,  who  have  observ- 
ed the  mumery  and  false  miracles,  set  forth  by  Popery  for 
the  purpose  of  deceiving  the  ignorant,  and  thereby  securing 
their  idolatrous  devotion,  have  discovered  the  cheat,  and 
have  therefore  concluded,  that,  there  is  no  truth  in  religion; 
and  for  the  want  of  a  knowledge  of  the  holy  scriptures,  have 
become  confirmed  Atheists.  When  this  state  of  things  was 
discovered,  in  vain  (it  is  said)  did  the  Pope  increase  the* 
splendour  of  his  ceremouies,  his  miracles,  and  abominable 
persecutions,  it  made  the  matter  worse  ;  as  it  only  served 
to  increase  the  darkness  of  the  ignorant  multitude,  and  to 
show  the  more  perfectly,  to  such  as  were  enlightened  by 
science,  the  horid  deformity  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

And  instead  of  Papal  Rome — with  all  the  advantages- 
that  she  might  have  derived  from  her  early  reception  of 
Christianity,  through  the  immediate  labours  of  the  Apos- 
tles— exercising  that  of  Christ  as  taught  by  himself  and 
his  Apostles,  she  has  been  guilty  of  the  most  cruel  tyranny 
and  oppression.  She  has  not  stopped  to  put  to  the  rack, 
and  to  inflict  the  most  dreadful  torture  and  death,  upon  all 
who  dared  to  deny  the  validity  of  her  superstitious   inven- 


OF  SUCCESSION  249 

tions.  In  this  work  we  have  already  noticed  the  thousands 
who  have  suffered  by  the  fangs  of  the  bloody  inquisition. 
And,  as  it  was  in  former  ages,  so  it  is  in  this  day,  so  far, 
at  least,  as  she  dares  to  exercise  her  authority.  For,  the 
reason  is  the  same  ;  she  is  unchanged  in  her  spirit  and  de- 
sign, to  keep  up  her  dignity  and  infallibility,  which,  has  its 
foundation  in  the  doctrine  of  succession.  It  is  true,  she 
has  to  put  on  a  more  pleasing  face  in  this  country,  where 
all  are  protected  by  the  constitution  and  laws,  in  all  their 
civil  and  religious  rights.  But  her  effort  to  keep  the  Bible 
from  the  people,  and  their  children,  who  are  under  their  in- 
fluence, plainly  shows,  that  she  is  the  same  in  her  spirit  and 
intentions  here,  as  in  other  countries,  where  she  has  the 
power  to  tyrannize  over,  and  destroy  the  peace  and  lives  of 
men.  And  no  one  of  common  sense  and  observation,  can 
doubt  for  a  moment,  that,  if  she  could  secure  the  ascen- 
dency, she  would  display  her  murderous  spirit  in  acts  of 
the  most  cruel  persecution.  Her  unwavering  maxim  or 
doctrine  is,  that  there  is  no  faith  to  be  kept  with  baptized 
heretics,  and  schismatics  ;  that  they  are  compelled  to  sub- 
mit to  her  mandates,  in  judgment  and  in  practice;  and  if 
nothing  else  will  secure  the  end,  death  offers  to  obstinacy 
its  fitting  reward  ! 

The  doctrine  of  uninterrupted  Apostolic  succession,  has, 
with  its  pretended  divine  sanction,  laid  the  foundation  of 
efforts,  to  destroy  both  civil  and  religious  liberty,  wherever 
it  can  gain  suitable  authority.  This  may  be  seen  from  the 
fact,  that  it  always  strives  to  unite  church  and  state ;  and 
readily  amalgamates,  with  the  most  tyrannical  civil  govern- 
ments. And  wherever  it  has  been  able  to  do  so,  it  has  des- 
troyed every  thing  like  the  liberty  of  the  press,  of  conscience 
and  of  speech,  and  kept  society  under  the  most  tyrannical 
yoke.  It  has  been  but  a  few  years,  since  a  Bull  was  issued 
by  the  present  Pope,  in  which  we  find  the  most  terrible 
32 


250  EFFECTS  OF  THE  DOCTRINE 

roaring  over  the  liberty  of  the  press,  the  liberty  to  print, 
to  send  out  and  read  the  Bible  ;  the  liberty  of  private  opin- 
ion, and  judgment  in  religious  matters,  with  all  the  liberty 
civil  and  religious,  for  which  our  fathers  bled  ;  and  which 
constitutes  the  dearest  franchise  of  every  free  American's 
heart.  And  could  this  spirit,  or  doctrine  prevail  heie,  no 
matter  whether  in  the  Roman  Church,  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  or  both  together — as  they  would  from  what 
we  have  seen  readily  amalgamate  on  this  ground — we  might 
bid  farewell  to  all  our  free  institutions.  Our  civil  govern- 
ment, the  best  in  the  known  world,  would  be  destroyed  ; 
and  instead  of  the  privilege  of  worshiping  God  according  to 
the  dictates  of  our  own  consciences,  and  sitting  under  our 
own  vine  and  fig-tree,  none  daring  to  make  us  afraid,  or 
ashamed  ;  instead  of  the  gospel  being  free,  and  the  liberty 
reserved  to  each  to  pay  to  whom  he  pleases,  or  as  much  as 
he  pleases,  we  should  be  compelled  to  pay  tithes  and  enor- 
mous taxes,  to  Priests  and  Bishops ;  although  they  were  as 
they  frequently  have  been,  amongst  the  most  debauched 
and  licentious,  in  the  land. 

That  this,  and  nothing  less,  is  the  aim  by  the  Catholic 
church,  may  be  understood  by  her  sending  the  Jesuits — ■ 
the  most  dangerous  of  all  the  sects  belong  to  the  Roman 
faith — like  swarms  of  Pharaoh's  locusts,  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  our  happy  republic.  And  the  object 
of  this  is,  that,  they  may  insinuate  themselves  into  high  pla- 
ces, as  they  have  done  in  other  countries,  to  the  destruction 
of  every  thing  like  freedom ;  until  the  Pope  himself,  was 
forced  to  put  them  down.  But  of  late  they  have  been  re- 
stored, and  sent  here,  and  the  Leopold  platform,  and  oth- 
ers, supply  them  with  money,  for  the  purpose  of  building 
churches,  seminaries  and  cathedrals,  with  deep  and  dreary 
cells  ;  so  that  they  may  be  prepared  when  they  accomplish 
their  dark  designs,  to  imprison  all  who  will  not  submit  to 


OF  SUCCESSION  251 

their  ghostly  rule.  Through  their  evil  conduct  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  light  of  science  and  religion  on  the  other, 
with  all  the  subtle  efforts  they  were  capable  of  making, 
they  have  lost  their  influence  in  a  great  degree,  in  France, 
in  Spain  and  many  other  parts  of  the  old  world,  where  they 
formerly  ruled  with  uncontrolled  sway.  And  as,  in  this 
respect,  their  hopes  are  blasted,  and  the  matter  becomes 
worse  and  worse  with  them,  as  light  and  truth  advance? 
they  are  looking  to  this  happy  country,  and  especially  the 
great  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  for  a  retreat,  and  the  build- 
ing up  again  of  their  lost  domination.  And  this  too,  with 
considerable  hope  of  success;  inasmuch,  as  in  their  esti- 
mation, even  our  heaven  inspired  constitution  has  in  it  the 
seeds  of  its  own  destruction;  that  is,  the  article  of  free  tol- 
eration in  matters  of  conscience.  No  doubt,  every  effort  is 
made  by  them,  so  to  pervert  and  abuse  this,  the  most  pre- 
cious part  of  our  excellent  institutions,  as,  if  possible,  to 
destroy  our  wholesome  government ;  and  thus  to  turn  our 
blessing  to  the  bitterest  curse.  And  will  free  Americans, 
whose  fathers  have  purchased  these  liberties  with  the 
price  of  their  own  blood  and  treasure,  tamely  look  on,  and 
quietly  submit  to  these  things  ?  that  they,  their  children, 
and  childrens'  children  may  be  brought  into  the  worst  of 
bondage  again  ?  or  will  they  not  wake  up,  and  in  time  re- 
buke the  foe  that  is  already  in  our  midst ;  and  so  much  em- 
boldened as  to  contend  about  our  school  funds,  and  to 
make  a  public  bonfire  of  our  precious  Bible  !  Will  they 
not  determine  neither  to  assist  them  with  their  means,  in 
building  churches  and  seminaries;  nor  with  their  patron-, 
age,  in  sending  their  children  to  them  for  an  education  ? 
I  know,  some  of  us  have  said,  there  is  no  danger,  no  dan- 
ger. But  the  "signs  of  the  times"  are  too  plain  to  be  mis- 
taken ;  and  if  we  love  our  country,  our  wholesome  laws, 
our  wives  and  children  ;  and  wish  to  hand  down  to  the  la- 


252  EFFECTS  OF  THE  DOCTRINE 

test  generation  the  blessings  of  freedom  thatw;e  have  enjoy- 
ed, it  is  high  time  for  us  to  awake  from  our  slumbers,  arise, 
and  shake  ourselves  from  the  dust,  and  say — as  we  now 
can  say — to  this  proud  and  domineering  spirit  of  succes- 
sion, wherever  it  may  be  found;  "Thus  far  you  shall  come 
and  no  farther,  and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  staid." 
This  must  be  done,  though  many  appear  to  think  slightly 
of  it.  It  had  therefore  much  better  be  done  now,  while  we 
have  the  means  of  effecting  it,  in  our  power.  If  we  neglect 
it  now — if  we  wait  until  we  see  the  Priests,  who  have  the 
control  of  their  congregations,  leading  them  to  the  poles, 
controlling  our  elections,  and  we  are  on  the  very  verge  of 
destruction  as  a  nation ;  we  shall  find  it  necessary  to  re- 
sist even  unto  blood.  And  this  is  a  result  most  deeply  to  be 
deprecated.  It  will  be  kept  in  mind,  it  is  not  the  Cathol- 
ics, or  high  church-men,  or  Oxford  divines,  with  whom  we 
are  now  contending,  as  communities ;  for  among  them 
may  be  found  some  good  Christians.  There  is  noth- 
ing which  we  despise  more  heartily  than  persecution  for 
religion's  sake.  But  it  is  with  the  false  doctrine  of  succes- 
sion with  all  its  errors  and  abuses;  that  would  tyrannize 
over  mankind,  wherever  found,  either  in  Rome,  England, 
or  America ;  it  is  this,  we  say,  against  which,  we  would 
wage  an  uncompromising  war,  now,  henceforth  and  forev- 
ermore. 

From  our  heart,  we  pity  the  men — whether  found  in  this, 
or  any  other  country — who  are  so  blinded  by  the  God  of 
this  world,  to  their  own  better  interest  and  that  of  their 
fellow-men,  as  to  be  induced  to  use  their  learning,  talents, 
and  influence  in  favor  of  doctrines  so  absurd  and  mon- 
strous, as  many  of  those  held  by  the  Church  of  Rome.  It 
is  no  better  in  itself,  than  forging  chains,  and  preparing 
dungeons,  racks  and  gibbets,  wherewith  to  punish  them- 
selves and  their  posterity  after  them.     We  must  conclude, 


OF  SUCCESSION  -  253 

that  they  are  under  some  strange  delusion  ;  brought  about 
by  the  cruel  enemy  of  their  souls,  and,  therefore,  would  not 
say  or  do  any  thing  intentionally,  to  injure  them  ;  while 
we  would  sincerely  and  zealously  oppose  the  errors  into 
which  they  have  fallen;  errors,  that  would  most  certainly 
undermine,  and  finally  overthrow,  all  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  could  they  universally  prevail. 

Again  we  say,  it  is  the  unscriptural  and  absurd  doctrine 
of  uninterrupted  Apostolic  succession,  with  all  its  dark 
errors  that  we  would  drive,  if  possible,  from  the  face  of 
the  earth  ;  as  it  has  been,  and  will  be,  one  of  the  bitter- 
est enemies  of  the  liberties  of  man.  We  wish  all  men  to 
enjoy  the  liberty  of  thinking  and  acting  for  themselves,  in 
matters  of  conscience  and  religion  ;  for  it  is  to  their  own 
master  they  stand  or  fall.  This  happy  privilege  is  now,  in 
this  glorious  republic,  guaranteed  to  every  man  ;  and  we 
would  not  have  it  altered  by  any  means,  although,  it  has 
been,  and  still  is,  greatly  abused.  But,  while  we  readily 
grant  free  toleration  to  others,  we  wish  to  enjoy  it  our- 
selves, without  molestation.  And  is  not  this  the  wish  of 
all  men,  in  reference  to  themselves  ?  And  is  it  not  right 
that  it  should  be  so  ?  since  nothing  can  be  more  dear  and 
precious  to  the  hearts  of  freemen,  than  liberty  of  con- 
science. If  then  we  would  continue  to  enjoy  this  liberty, 
we  must,  in  the  most  decided  and  religious  manner,  resist 
and  rebuke  all  the  insidious  attacks,  made  by  the  various 
successionists,  on  our  liberties  and  free  institutions.  Let 
it  be  known  at  once,  in  word  and  deed,  while  we  have  it 
in  our  power  to  do  it  peaceably,  that  we  are  not  to  be  tram- 
pled upon,  or  driven  from  our  high  privileges:  that  our  col- 
ors are  nailed  to  the  mast's  head,  and  with  us  it  is  victory 
or  death.  This  indeed  is  our  duty,  and  it  evidently  be- 
hooves us  thus  to  act,  even  were  it  only  to  honor  our  wor- 
thy fathers,   who  suffered  so  much,  and  paid  so  dear  to 


•254  RESULTS  OF  THE  REFORMATION, 

achieve  our  liberty.  Up,  up  then  and  let  every  true  prot- 
estant,  unmindful  of  names,  or  party  distinctions,  be  at  his 
post,  and  manfully  resist  the  common  foe.  First,  by  refu- 
sing to  give  him  any  longer  our  aid,  or  countenance  ;  and 
secondly,  by  heartily  uniting,  in  besieging  the  throne  of  hea- 
venly grace,  that  to  us,  the  promise  may  be  fulfilled,  "not 
by  might,  or  by  power,  but  by  my  spirit  saith  the  Lord." 
That  the  God  of  Israel,  of  the  christians,  may  be  on  our 
side  ;  that  his  holy  arm  may  be  made  bare  in  our  defence, 
and  though  the  grace  of  his  gospel,  we  may  be  kept  free 
from  civil  tyranny,  and  religious  oppression.  Prayer  is 
mighty  and  will  prevail  with  God. 

Who,  among  the  most  sagacious  of  men,  can  possibly 
know  what,  or  where,  we  would  have  been,  but  for  the  Re- 
formation ?  When  we  look  to  the  days  of  Luther,  and  see 
the  condition  of  the  Christian  world — so  cajled — our  hearts 
sicken  within  us  ;  for  there  we  behold  ignorance,  supersti- 
tion, and  iniquity,  in  all  their  strength  and  deformity, 
abounding  in  the  highest  places  of  the  Church  ;  science, 
letters,  and  true  religion,  nearly  swept  from  the  face  of  the 
earth  ;  while  gross  darkness,  yea,  a  darkness  that  might  be 
felt,  universally  prevailed.  And  had  this  state  of  things 
continued  to  this  day,  might  we  not  conclude,  that  even  the 
high  successionists  themselves — if  they  had  existence  at 
all — would,  instead  of  enjoying  the  light  of  science  and 
religion,  as  they  now  do,  be  found  among  the  most  ignorant 
and  degraded,  and  nothing  better  than  hewers  of  wood 
and  drawers  of  water  ?  as  they  would  never  have  been  per- 
mitted to  see  the  true  fountain  of  light,  science,  and  reli- 
gion— the  Holy  Bible. 

Have  we  been  delivered  from  the  gross  darkness  of  Po- 
peiy,  with  all  its  tyranny  and  blood  ?  have  we  been  saved 
from  the  necessity  of  giving  all  our  substance  to  a  tyran- 
nical civil  government,  and  yet  more  rapacious  clergy,  that 


tlESULTS  OF  THE  REFORMATION  255 

they  might  revel,  without  restraint,  in  their  abominable  li= 
centiousness  ;  while  we  would  have  been  doomed,  with  our 
children,  to  drag  out  a  miserable  existence,  in  the  worst  of 
slavery?  All,  all,  has  been  brought  about,  and  received, 
through  the  blessings  of  the  reformation.  For  it  is  true, 
and  cannot  be  successfully  contradicted,  that,  through  the 
Reformation  commenced  by  Luther,  Zuinglius,  Calvin,  and 
others,  and  so  gloriously  continued  and  carried  out,  by 
Cranmer,  Latimer,  and  Ridley ;  and  still,  more  recently, 
by  Wesley  and  Whitfield,  &c.  that  the  light  of  science,  as 
well  as  religion,  has  been  received,  and  spread  through  the 
world  ;    and  is  still  prevailing,  to  bless  mankind. 

And,  after  all  this,  is  it  not  strange,  and  almost  unac- 
countable, that,  in  England  and  America,  where  the  bles- 
sings of  the  Reformation  have  been  felt  and  enjoyed  more 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  men  can  be  found  in 
the  Church,  professing  to  be  Protestants,  and  enjoying  the 
high  privileges  and  blessings,  brought  about  by  the  tears, 
labors,  and  sufferings,  of  our  worthy  Reformers,  so  to  abuse 
their  liberty  and  seek  to  abuse  mankind,  as  to  speak  disre- 
spectfully both  of  the  Reformation  and  those  engaged  in  it  ? 
But  it  is  no  more  strange  than  true.  The  Oxford  divines 
in  England,  with  the  high  churchmen  in  this  country,  la- 
ment over  the  Reformation,  and  say  that  it  did  more  harm 
to  the  Church,  than  all  the  persecutions  of  heathenism'  did  ! 
that  Cranmer,  and  Laiimer,  and  others,  w^hose  praise  is  in 
all  the  churches,  did  not  die  for  the  truth  ;  and,  of  course, 
must,  therefore,  have  died  for  a  lie.  And  thus,  while  they 
would  vilify  the  honorable  dead,  and  stop,  if  possible,  our 
boast  of  the  Reformation,  they  would  speak  in  the  most  re- 
spectful terms  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  openly  give  the 
world  to  know,  that  they  not  only  wish  themselves  to  return 
to  her  bosom,  but,  if  possible,  to  take  the  whole  world  with 
them  ! 


256  RESULTS  OF  THE  REFORM  4T10N 

The  apology  for  this  black  ingratitude  is,  that  the  Church 
of  Rome,  with  all  her  blood  and  mummery,  is,  after  all* 
apostolic  in  her  authority  ;  and  has  in  her  possession  the 
sacraments  of  grace ;  since  she  has — as  they  would  have 
the  woild  to  believe — the  true  Apostolic  Succession.  And 
this,  if  true,  would  not  only  make  the  Church  of  England, 
with  every  other  branch  of  the  Protestant  Church,  schis- 
raatical  and  heretical ;  but  make  it  essentially  necessary, 
that  all  should  immediately  return,  with  deep  repentance, 
and  sue  for  absolution  at  the  hands  of  the  Pope,  although 
it  would  lead  us  again  into  the  darkness  of  the  darkest 
ages  of  Popery.  Surely  these  men  must  ''love  darkness- 
rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil." 

But  it  is,  we  think,  easy  to  be  discerned,  that,  instead  of 
this,  the  true  reason  is,  the  Tractarians  are  apprized — with 
others  high  in  office  in  the  Church  of  England,  and  who 
have  readily  fallen  in  with  their  views  of  the  subject — that 
something  more  must  be  done,  to  stop,  if  possible,  the  light 
and  liberty  brought  in  by  the  Reformation.  For  they 
clearly  see,  that  if  it  continues  to  spread,  they  will  lose  their 
ghostly  dominion,  and  religion  will  be  made  entirely  free 
and  independent  of  the  secular  arm.  And  in  this  case,  they 
well  know,  their  fat  salaries  would  no  longer  be  received. 

If  they  could  persuade  the  nation  that  they  "  are  the  men, 
and  wisdom  must  die  with  them;"  or  that  the  doctrine  of 
succession  is  true,  and,  by  that  means  be  restored  to  the 
fostering  care  of  the  Mother  Church,  they  might  be  nour- 
ished and  fed  by  her,  no  matter  of  v/hat  kind  of  conduct 
they  might  be  guilty.  For  she  has  nourished  in  her  bosom 
— as,  indeed,  befitted  her — and  promoted  to  her  highest 
honors,  men  of  the  most  abandoned  characters. 

When  Christ,  the  great  author  of  our  holy  religion,  was 
about  to  set  up  his  kingdom  upon  earth,  he  sent  forth  his 
Apostles,  and  seventy  disciples,  to  preach  repentance  and 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REFORMATION  25T 

fkitb — not  the  doctrine  of  penance,  or  the  worship  of  ima- 
ges and  saints — and,  in  order  to  confirm  their  doctrine,  he 
gave  them  power  to  heal  the  sick  and  cast  out  devils  ;  in- 
tending thereby  to  show  that  it  was  true,  as  he  had  declared, 
that  his  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world;  and  that  he  had  no 
need  of  the  secular  arm  to  sustain  either  him,  or  the  pure 
principles  of  his  Gospel.  Indeed;  he  was  about  to  set  up  a 
kingdom  different  from  all  the  kingdoms  of  earth,  and  in 
so  many  respects  contrary  to  them,  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  amalgamate  them.  This  is  evident,  from  the  figure 
— intending  to  represent  it — found  in  the  Old  Testament, 
of  the  little  stone,  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands ; 
and  which  was  to  grow  until  it  should  fill  the  whole  earth. 
His  disciples  did  not  seek  after  civil  authority,  because  they 
had  no  need  of  it,  to  sustain  them  in  their  holy  work.  They 
well  knew,  that  the  pure  religion  of  Christ,  could,  and 
would,  stand  and  prosper  abundantly  better,  because  of  its 
own  intrinsic  merits,  than  with  any  unholy  and  unnatural 
alliance  with  the  governments  of  this  world.  And  that  this 
is  true,  may  be  seen  from  the  fact,  that,  wherever  religion 
has  been  left  to  itself,  it  has  prospered  gloriously ;  although 
opposed  by  the  world  and  the  devil,  in  the  most  open  and 
violent  manner.  And,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  it  has  been 
united  with,  and  attempted  to  be  sustained  by,  civil  autho- 
rity— as  has  been  too  frequently  the  case — the  most  degra. 
ding  and  ruinous  consequences  have  ensued.  And  of  these, 
the  fact  of  the  clergy  being  made  independent  of  the  people 
they  were  bound  to  serve,  has  not  been  the  least.  How 
many  of  the  most  ignorant  and  licentious,  have  been  kept 
as  burdens  upon  the  Church,  on  this  account ;  to  the  de- 
struction (it  may  be  feared)  of  many  precious  souls  !  where- 
as, if  they  had  been  left  to  their  own  piety  and  talents,  or 
to  stand  upon  their  own  proper  merit,  they  would  soon  have 
heen  cast  out,  and  the  Church  thereby  relieved  of  one  of 


258        RESULTS  OF  THE  REFORM 4T10N 

the  greatest  hindrances  to  her  wonted  prosperity.  Perhaps 
mankind  has  nothing  moie  to  abhor  or  dread,  than  an 
unholy  alliance  of  Church  and  State ;  except  the  complete 
and  final  triumph  of  Puseyism  in  England,  and  high  church- 
ism — which  is  the  same — in  this  country.  Let  them  suc- 
ceed, and  we  shall  not  only  have  that  unnatural  amalga- 
mation  brought  about,  but  all  the  horrors  and  darkness  of 
Popery,  will  spread  over  England  and  America,  not  only  to 
blast  the  fondest  hopes  of  freemen,  bat  to  degrade  and  en- 
slave their  children,  to  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 
From  even  the  prospect  of  this,  does  not  every  high  born 
American  exclaim.   Good  Lord  deliver  us  ! 

But  Pusey,  and  the  rest  of  the  Oxford  divines,  are,  no 
doubt,  well  persuaded,  that  a  sensual  religion,  or  one  of 
show  and  outward  pomp — which,  though  nothing  better 
than  the  form  without  the  power,  is  all  they  appear  to  un- 
derstand about  the  matter — cannot  be  sustained,  even  by 
the  secular  arm,  where  there  is  free  toleration,  and  men 
dare  to  think  and  act  for  themselves.  Hence,  they  are  ma- 
king a  struggle,  as  one  in  the  last  agonies  of  death,  to 
revive  the  authority  and  dominion  of  Popery  ;  at  least  grad- 
ually, in  the  Church  of  England.  And  they  have  so  far 
succeeded,  (if  report  be  true,)  as  to  have  fires  renewed 
and  candles  burning,  in  some  places,  at  mid-day ;  with 
many  other  superstitious  notions,  set  up  in  the  place  of  the 
pure  principles  and  practices  established  by  the  Reforma- 
tion. And  thus  are  they  paving  the  way,  as  fast  as  possi- 
ble, for  a  return  to,  and  amalgamation  with,  the  Church  of 
Home.  The  doctrine  of  succession,  or  divine  authority 
from  Christ,  through  the  Apostles,  by  the  imposition  of 
hands,  is  the  point  from  which  they  started.  It  is,  with 
them,  the  essential  foundation,  on  which  all  the  authority 
,of  the  Church  rests;  and,  in  all  probability,  finding  that 
they  have  good  reason  to  doubt  the  possession  of  it?  through 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REFORMATION  259 

the  Catholics,  by  the  Church  of  England,  to  cover  their 
retreat,  and  make  sure  the  ground  they  have  taken,  they  are 
striving  to  return  to  tha  Church  of  Rome,  vi^here  they  think 
they  virould  be  secure.  But  great  difficulties  are  yet  to  be 
overcome  ;  although  the  shame  of  traducing  both  the  glo- 
rious Reformation,  and  reformers  to  whom  they  owe  ^an 
unspeakable  debt  of  gratitude,  sits  so  lightly  on  their  con- 
sciences. The  evangelical  party  in  the  Established  Church, 
the  Methodists  and  dissenters,  are  greatly  in  their  way;  and 
their  influence  in  the  nation  must  be  cut  down,  before  they 
can  attain  to  the  consummation  of  their  most  ardent  desire. 
Hence,  the  attack  has  been  already  made,  and  their  high- 
est vengeance  appears  to  be  about  to  be  poured  out,  especi- 
ally, upon  the  Wesleyan  Methodists.  Their  great  num- 
bers ;  the  purity  of  their  Bible  doctrines,  especially  of  jus- 
tification by  faith  alone ;  their  great  influence  in  the  na- 
tion, with  the  high  as  well  as  the  low,  make  them  serious 
obstacles,  and  they  must,  therefore,  be  removed.  But,  here 
we  trust,  we  may  conclude  that,  in  coming  in  contact  with 
the  evangelical  party  in  the  Established  Church,  the  dis- 
senters in  general,  and  with  the  Wesleyan  Methodists,  the  Ox- 
ford divines  have  struck  upon  an  immoveable  rock  ;  for  they 
are  built  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages,  that  never  can  be  removed. 
The  cause  of  the  truly  pious,  in  every  branch  of  the  Church/ 
is  the  cause  of  God ;  and  they  that  resist  it,  will  find  them- 
selves fighting  against  him.  And  their  puny  arm  is  too 
short,  to  contend  successfully  against  his  mighty  power. 

But  while  the  battle  is  going  on  in  England,  between 
Christ  and  Anti-Chiist,  or  Puseyism  and  the  principles  of 
the  Reformation,  What  may  we  expect  in  this  country? 
seeing  that  our  high  churchmen  have  already  received  so 
fully  all  the  errors  and  absurdities  of  the  Oxford  divines, 
that  they  proclaim,  openly,  their  wish  to  go  with  them  into 
the  bosom  of  the  Roman  Church, 


260  RESULTS  OF  THE  REFORMATION, 

And,  if  we  can  believe  their  standard,  and  most  apprc^ 
ved  periodicals,  they  are  greatly  encouraged  at  the  prospect 
that  lies  before  them.     And  no  wonder  ;  when  the  doctrines 
they  have  received,  have,  so  unexpectedly,  taken  "deep 
root,"  and  become  widely  diffused,  among  all  high  church- 
men.     More   especially,  too,   because  Catholics  are  con- 
stantly arriving  in  this  country,  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in 
the  promotion  of  Papacy,     But,  while  Pusey  and  his  col- 
leagues,  find   great  difficulties  in  England;    still  greater 
await  them  in  this  enlightened  republic.     For,  in  addition 
to  the  millions  of  Christians,  that  belong  to  the  various 
denominations,  who  are  true  to  the  cause  of  Christ ;  and, 
consequently,  cherish,  with  gratitude  and  joy,  the  recollec- 
tions of  the  Reformation ;  they  have  to  contend  with  our 
civil  government,  that  grants  to  every  man  liberty  of  con- 
science  and  protects  him  in  worshiping  God,  in  whatever 
way  he  believes  to  be  best.     And,  further  still,  the  light  af 
divine  truth  is  so  generally  diffused,  as  to  leave  but  few  in 
ignorance  of  their  high  privileges  under  the  Gospel.     The 
Holy  Bible,  too,  is  in  almost  every  family,  and  can  be  read 
by  almost  every  individual. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  this,  they  may  seem,  for  awhile, 
to  succeed  in  their  unhallowed  work.  They  may  turn  a 
^part  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  a  part  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  in  America,  into  the  bosom  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  ;  and  thus,  to  some  extent, 
despoil  the  beauties  of  the  Reformation.  They  may  cause 
strife  and  contention  to  be  rife  in  the  land ;  and  go  so 
far  as  to  shed  innocent  blood — as  has  been  done  in  for- 
mer days.  Yet,  may  we  not  believe,  that  the  God  of 
Truth  and  Justice,  will  appear  in  the  defence  of  his  own 
cause,  and  say  to  these  proud  waves.  Here  shall  ye  be 
staid  ?  Will  He  not  make  use  of  the  instruments,  al- 
ready prepared,  in  the  different  branches  of  the  Evangel- 


RESULTS,  &C,  261 

ical  Churches,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  with  the 
light  of  science  and  civilization ;  so,  that  while  the  Man 
of  Sin,  the  Beast,  and  the  false  Prophet,  shall  be  finally 
defeated  and  overthrown,  the  Church,  the  Bride,  the 
Lamb's  Wife,  shall  come  up  from  the  wilderness,  cloth- 
ed with  the  beautiful  garments  of  salvation,  and  finally 
become  "the  praise  of  the  whole  Earth?"  And  thus  by 
his  own  Almighty  arm,  and  in  his  own  way,  scatter  to 
the  four  winds  of  heaven,  all  the  vain  pretensions,  and  ex- 
pectations of  Popery,  and  the  many  in  the  church  of  Eng- 
land, and  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  this  coun- 
try that  have  been  deceived  thereby. 

Most  certain  it  is,  that  every  lover  of  truth,  every  lover  of 
the  holy  Bible  and  the  pure  religion  of  Christ  so  clearly  set 
forth  therein,  should  make  it  a  matter  of  sincere  and  con- 
tinued prayer.  And  not  only  so,  but  should  be  glad  to  da 
all  in  his  power  to  be  instrumental  in  this  good  work. 


262  ORDINATION  OF 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Ordination  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  A  reference  to  what 
has  been  said.  Leopold  platform.  Dr.  Samuel  Seabury,  D.  D.,  ordina- 
tion, &c. 

In  the  foregoing  pages  it  has  been,  triumphantly  set  forth, 
that  the  doctrine  of  the  high  churchmen  in  this  country,  is, 
that  a  regular  line  of  Bishops,  who  have  derived  their  au- 
thority to  ordain  from  the  Apostles  by  a  regular  uninter- 
rupted succession,  is  essentially  necessary  to  the  exis- 
tence of  the  true  church,  a  properly  authorized  ministry, 
and  the  due  administration  of  the  ordinances  ;  and  where 
this  is  w^anting,  there  is  (in  their  estimation)  no  church,  no 
ministry,  no  ordinances.  This,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
proceeds  on  the  supposition,  that  Christ  did  delegate  his  di- 
divine  authority  to  his  Apostles, to  be — to  the  latest  genera- 
tion— transmitted  to  others,  by  the  imposition  of  their 
hands.  And  were  this  true,  their  doctrine  would  also  be 
true  ;  and  would  consequently  become  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance to  the  whole  christian  community.  No  one  should 
rest  contented,  or  pretend  to  enter  into  holy  orders,  until  he 
had  found,  to  his  own  satisfaction,  the  true  line  of  succes- 
sion. And  were  the  doctrine  true,  he  might  not  only  ex- 
pect, easily  to  find  it;  but  also  especially  to  find  the  ex- 
press words  of  Christ,  wherein  that  authority  was  originally 
given.  But  strange  as  it  may  appear,  it  is  nevertheless 
true,  that  no  such  line  can  be  made  out;  neither  is  there 
to  be  found  in  holy  writ,  any  thing  like  a  chart,  or  founda- 
tion for  any  such  doctrine.  But  on  the  contrary,  it  is  evi. 
dent,  the  great  head  of  the  church  never  intended  any  such 
thing  in  the  constitution  of  his  ministry,  or  the  organiza- 
tion of  his  spiritual  kingdom.     The  order,  and  office  of  the 


PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  263 

Apostles,  constituted,  personally,  by  Christ  with  peculiar  at- 
tributes, as  the  foundation  of  the  Church,  himself  being  the 
chief  corner  stone,  has  long  since  passed  away ;  since  it 
was  never  intended  to  be  handed  down,  (as  indeed,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  it  could  not  be,) to  any  other  set  of  men. 
They  have  left  behind,  only  two  distinct  orders,  to  serve  the 
church,  namely  Presbyters,  Elders  or  Bishops— which  are 
one  and  the  same,  according  lo  scripture— and  Deacons. 
This  will  readily  be  perceived  by  every  attentive  reader  of 
the  holy  Bible,  to  be  most  certainly  true.  And  that  the 
Lord  of  life  and  glory,  who  is  the  High  Priest  over  the  house 
of  God  forever,  instead  of  delegating  to  poor  fallible  men, 
his  divine  authority,  in  the  sense  contended  for  by  the  high 
churchmen,  has  kept  in  his  own  hands  the  supreme  rule  and 
authority,  to  call,  qualify  and  send  men,  to  minister  for 
him  in  holy  things.  And  woe  be  to  such  as  would  thrust 
themselves  into  his  holy  work  without  his  bidding! 

Could  the  pretenders  to  succession,  trace  a  line  from  the 
iirst  Bishops,  or  Presbyters,  by  the  imposition  of  hands, 
there  might  not  be  much  harm  in  it.  But  scripturally 
speaking,  it  would  be  of  no  avail,  as  to  divine  authority; 
seeing  that  Christ  has  not  ordained  it  so.  But  even  this, 
they  cannot  do.  Neither  can  they  claim  to  have,  any  more 
authority,  than  that  derived  from  the  present  church  of  Eng- 
land. And  notwithstanding  the  church,  has  no  claim,  even 
to  Catholic  consecration,  (although  Dr.  Chapman  would 
have  us  to  think  otherwise,)  she  has  ecclesiastical  authority, 
good  enough,  for  all  religious  purposes;  and  consequently, 
has  transmitted  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal.Church,  as  good 
authority  as  she  need  to  desire ;  although  it  is  not  of  that 
kind,  which  some  of  her  ministers  pretend  to  claim  for  her, 
i.  e.  an  authority  from  a  succession  of  Catholic  Bishops.  So 
far  indeed  from  this,  the  first  reformers  did,  as  they  should 
have  done,  despise,   and  cast  from  them,  all  such  authority 


264  ORDINATION  OF 

as  they  could  have  derived  from  the  Roman  Catholic 
Charch :  because,  in  their  estimation,  she  was  the  most  fil- 
thy of  all  things.  Having  done  this,  they  formed  for  them- 
selves a  much  better,  because,  it  was— all  things  considered 

. a  much  more   scriptural,  ecclesiastical   establishment. 

Hence,  the  church  of  England,  and  consequently,  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  may,  and  should  each,  be  satisfi- 
ed with  her  respective   ordination.      But  if  their  claim  to 
the  dignity  and  glory  of  the  true  Church  of  Christ,  must 
rest,    as  some  of  them  think,  or  an  uninterrupted  line  of 
succession,  derived  through  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  then  in- 
deed   all    is    lost.     For,    notwithstanding   Dr.   Chapman 
roundly  asserts — in  order  to  show  the  connection  between 
the  Church  of  England  and  Catholic  Church— that  Cramer 
and  Latimer  were    Catholic  Bishops  ;  they  had  not,  neith- 
er did  they  make  the  least  claim  to,    any  such  source 
of  authority.       By    an    act     of    Parliament,    the     King 
was  endowed,   according  to  his   own  claim,  with   all  au- 
thority,  as  well  ecclesiastical  as    civil.     And  hence,  Cran- 
mer  who  vv^as  at   the  head  of  the  reformation,  claimed  no 
higher   authority,   than  that  derived  from  his  Prince ;  and 
maintained,  and  openly  published  the  doctrine,  that  noth- 
ing more  was  necessary  to  constitute  a  Bishop,  or  a  Priest. 
And  from  that  time  to  the  present,  the  supreme  authority 
in  the  church  of  England,  is  held  by  the  reigning  sovereign 
whether  male,  or  female  ;  and  all  ecclesiastical  authority^ 
must  necessarily  emanate  from  them.     Indeed,  such  was 
the  account   that  Cranmer  made  of  this  doctrine,    that  on 
the  death  of  Henry  VHI,  he  refused  to  exercise  his  Episco- 
pal office,  until  his  commission  was  renewed  by  Edward  VI 
who  succeeded  his  father.    So  far  then,  from  their  having  at 
that  time,    ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  from   the  Apostles, 
through  the  Roman  church  ;  they  had  not  so  much  as  regu- 
lar Protestant   ordination,   as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 


PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  265 

they  had  to  depend  upon  a  mere  layman— for  the  King  was 
nothing  more — for  all  ecclesiastical  rule  and  authority. 
Whatever  then  can  be  derived  from  such  a  source  as  this, 
the 'church  of  England  has  ;  and  as  it  respects  succession, 
it  can  have  nothing  more.  Consequently,  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church,  who  derived  her  ordination  from  her, 
cannot  have  higher  or  better  claims  to  succession  than  the 
church  from  which  her  authority  is  derived. 

Neither  do  we  find  it  any  better  when  we  come  down  to 
Queen  Elizabeth's  day;  whence  we  must  date  the  com- 
mencement of  the  establishment,  of  the  present  church  of 
England ;  because  bloody  Queen  Mary,  as  she  was  signifi- 
cantly called,  succeeded  in  destroying  all  that  had  been  pre- 
viously done,  and  once  more  established  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic church  in  all  her  wonted  rule  and  authority.  All  the 
Protestant  clergy  were  compelled  to  fly  into  exile,  or  fall 
by  the  hand  of  persecution  ;  so  that  when  Elizabeth  came 
to  the  throne,  her  only  ministers  were  a  few  of  those  of  Ed- 
ward's day,  who  returned  from  exile.  And,  it  is  even  as. 
sferted,  that  some  of  these  had  never  received  any  kind  of 
ordination;  but  had  simply  been  made  mir^sters  by  the 
appointment  of  their  prince.  Such  was  the  state  of 
things,  when  she  made  choice  of  Matthew  Parker, 
as  her  first  Bishop.  This  appears  to  have  been  a  mat- 
ter of  great  perplexity  to  her  ;  for,  after  waiting  a  consid- 
erable time,  she  was  under  the  necessity  of  issuing  her 
letter  of  authority  to  Barlow  and  others,  making  provision 
therein  for  all  the  disabilities  that  might  be  found  in  them 
as  the  consecrators  of  her  first  Arch-Bishop,  Matthew  Par- 
ker. Indeed  some  have  supposed  that  Parker  was  never 
ordained  at  all ;  as  no  register  of  that  fact  could  be  found, 
as  they  assert,  for  more  than  fifty  years  ;  although  the  Cath- 
olics constantly  demanded  it  of  them.  But  let  this  be  as 
it  may,  it  matters  not ;  for  if  he  was  ordained— and  this' 
34 


266  ORDINATIOI^  OF 

we  suppose  will  not  be  denied — it  was  only  by  men,  who 
themselves  made  no  claim  whatever  to  Catholic  orders  ; 
but  who  like  Cranmer  before  them,  contended  that  the  call 
and  appointment  of  the  ruling  Prince  was  all  the  authority 
that  was  necessary  to  make  Priests  or  Bishops  ;  so  far  as 
outward  or  visible  authority  was  concerned.  How  far 
short  then,  does  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  fall  of 
Apostolic  succession,  when  her  highest  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority most  evidently  emanated  from  a  King  or  Queen,  or 
simply  a  layman,  possessed  of  not  even  a  shadow  of  author- 
ity to  confer  Episcopal  orders  or  jurisdiction,  exceptsofar, 
as  an  act  of  Parliament  could  give  it.  Neither  would  it 
make  the  matter  any  better,  could  they  go  back  to  Catholic 
consecration,  as  some  of  the  high  churchmen  wish  to  do ; 
since  many  of  the  Popes  were  no  better  than  laymen,  pre- 
vious to  their  being  thrust  into  the  Papal  chair.  They  had 
not  received  ordination  to  the  Episcopal  dignity,  or  any 
thing  else  in  the  church  of  God  ;  and  consequently,  the 
mere  fact  of  being  elected  Pope  did  not  give  them  authority 
to  exercise  Episcopal  jurisdiction.  Here  then,  where  the 
highest  claim  Js  made  to  divine  authority,  through  succes- 
sion and  to  which  the  high  churchmen  desire  to  come;  we, 
in  truth,  find  nothing  better  than  authority  that  might  be 
exercised,  and  was  exercised,  by  laymen,  thrust  into  high 
places,  in  the  piofessed  church  of  God. 

The  more  we  examine  the  subject  of  visible  divine  au- 
thority, claimed  by  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  the 
more  doubt  and  darkness  are  thrown  around  it,  as  to  even  a 
claim  to  a  regular  legal  authority  to  exercise  the  Episcopal 
office.  For  we  find,  in  the  next  place,  when  Matthew  Par- 
ker was  ordained — if  he  was  ordained  at  all — the  oidinal  of 
Edward  VI,  conferring  the  ordaining  power,  had  been  made 
void  in  Mary's  reign,  and  had  not  been  legally  restored  by 
an  act  of  Parliament,  as  it  should  have  been.  If  history 
be  true,  it  was  more  than  seven  years  after  the  consecration 


PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  267 

of  Parker  and  the  rest  of  the  Bishops  and  clergy  of  the  Es- 
tablished Church  of  England,  before  this  wa§  done  by  a 
formal  act  of  Parliament ;  and,  consequently,  none  of  those 
who  had  been  ordained,  were,  according  to  their  own  views, 
possessed  of  legal  jurisdiction.  It  is  true,  their  authority 
was  conferred  by  the  Queen,  who  was  head  of  the  Church ; 
but  the  form  of  ordination  not  being  legalized,  must  have 
made  all  null  and  void.  Here  -then,  we  find  the  whole 
Church  of  England,  the  source  of  Protestant  Episcopal  ordi- 
nation, unsound  at  the  very  foundation,  to  the  present  day  ; 
that  is,  according  to  their  own  views  of  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority, or  outward  legal  jurisdiction. 

But  what  seems  to  increase  the  difficulty  is,  that,  after  the 
manner  of  ordaining  was  restored  to  legal  jurisdiction,  and 
remained  in  full  force  for  more  than  one  hundred  years — 
say  up  to  1662 — it  was,  in  their  estimation,  so  defective,  as 
to  lequiie  alteration,  or  rather  the  appointing  of  anew  one  ; 
which  was  accordingly  done.  We  have  no  faith  in  the  power 
of  any  form  of  ordination,  to  confer  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  inasmuch  as  no  such  intimation  has  ever  been 
given,  by  Christ  or  his  Apostles.  All  that  is  intended,  or 
can  be  accomplished,  by  the  best  form  of  consecration  used 
by  any  branch  of  the  Church;  is,  to  acknowledge,  publicly, 
the  person  so  ordained,  as  being  qualified  by  the  Great 
Head  of  the  Church,  in  the  estimation  of  such  as  have  had 
the  oversight  of  him,  to  minister  in  holy  things  ;  and,  more- 
over, to  give  him,  in  the  most  public  way,  the  visible  autho- 
rity of  the  Church  to  which  he  belongs.  This,  we  say,  is 
all  that  can  be  rationally  or  scripturally  intended,  by  any 
set  of  wise  and  religious  men.  For  no  man,  in  his  senses, 
and  with  the  word  of  God  before  him,  can  believe  that  any 
one  but  God  himself,  can  impart  t.o  men  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Neither  can  he  believe,  that  any  thing  short 
of  the  gifts  and   callings   of  God.  can  qualify  any  one  to 


268  ORDINATION  OF 

preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  But,  in  view  of 
this  outward  succession  of  the  imposition  of  hands,  claimed 
by  our  high  churchmen  as  divine  authority,  it  greatly  alters 
the  case.  If  the  original  ordinal  was  scriptural  and  suffi- 
cient, in  their  estimation,  to  convey  the  succession.  Why 
alter  it  ?  And,  if  it  were  not,  is  it  not  true,  that,  for  one 
hundred  years,  at  least,  they  had  no  properly  authorized 
ministers  ?  and,  consequently,  no  due  administration  of  the 
holy  sacraments.  And,  if  this  be  admitted,  will  it  not  ine- 
vitably follow,  that,  so  far  as  concerns  the  doctrine  of  suc- 
cession, all  succeeding  ordinations  must,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  be  null  and  void  ? 

If  then,  it  must  be  acknowledged  on  all  hands,  that  the 
supreme  ecclesiastical  authority  was  vested  in  the  Prince 
or  Princes  of  England,  from  the  commencement  of  the 
Reformation — so  that  they  could  constitute  Bishops  and 
Priests,  and  forms  of  worship,  &c.,  notwithstanding  they, 
themselves,  were  destitute  of  all  episcopal  ordination, 
and,  consequently,  nothing  but  laymen — and  that  this  was 
the  highest,  or  principal,  source  of  all  ecclesiastical  autho- 
rity in  the  Church  of  England  ;  that  this  was  acknowledged 
and  acted  upon,  not  only  by  Cranmer,  the  principal  re- 
former under  Henry  VIII,  but  also  by  Barlow,  one  of  the 
principal  consecrators  of  Dr.  Matthew  Parker,  in  the  days 
of  Elizabeth,  when  the  present  Established  Church  of  En- 
gland took  its  rise ;  if  it  be  true,  that  even  the  ordination 
of  Parker  was  not  considered  canonical,  or  even  legal — not 
because  his  consecrators  had  been  driven  into  exile,  as 
some  would  have  us  think,  but — because,  as  others^  be- 
lieved, and  still  do  believe  they,  themselves,  had  not  been 
ordained ;  or,  if  they  had,  had  been  deposed  and  excommu- 
nicated, in  Mary's  reign,  and  had  never  been  legally  resto- 
red ;  that  even  Edward's  ordinal,  by  which  Dr.  Matthew 
Parker    was    consecrated,   had     been  abrogated    during 


PROTEST  A.NT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  269 

Mary's  reign,  and  had  not  been  legally  restored,  by  an  act 
of  Parliament,  or  by  an  act  of  the  Queen.  And  if,  more- 
over, such,  in  the  estimation  of  the  high  dignitaries 
of  the  Church,  was  the  defect  of  that  ordinal,  even  after 
it  was  legalized,  that  after  using  it  one  hundred  years, 
a  new  one  was  passed  in  its  stead  ;  if  all  this  be  true, 
how  apparent  must  it  be,  to  every  unprejudiced  mind, 
that  the  Church  of  England  is  not  only  destitute  of  Apos- 
tolic  Succession,  but  even  of  Catholic  consecration,  or  even 
so  much  as  a  regular  Protestant  Episcopal  ordination. 
Consequently,  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  which  de- 
rived her  ordination  from  the  Church  of  England,  accord- 
ing to  her  own  doctrine,  (i.  e.,  no  succession,  then  no 
Church,  no  ministry,  no  ordinances,)  must  stand  among  the 
"  recent  spurious  churches  of  human  invention,"  as  no 
Church ;  having  no  properly  authorized  ministry,  and  no 
ordinances  duly  administered  ! 

While  our  high  Church  divines,  with  Pusey,  and  other  sue- 
cessionists  and  exclusives  in  the  Church  of  England,  appear 
to  wish  us  to  think,  that  the  supreme  authority  in  the  Church 
of  God  is  vested  in  Bishops,  supposed  to  be  in  the  regular 
succession  from  the  Apostles  ;  others  have  thought,  that 
Kings,  or  even  Queens,  were  the  proper  depositories  of 
such  dignity  and  authority ;  since,  according  to  their  esti. 
mation,  they  were  divinely  appointed  to  rule  earthly  king- 
doms and  empires  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  many  have 
thought  that  the  people  composing  the  flock  of  Christ,  con- 
stitute the  source  of  all  ecclesiastical  rule  and  government. 
Now  all  this  is  wrong ;  and  hence  arise  so  many  mischiev- 
ous errors  concerning  the  ministry  and  Church  of  God. 

If  Episcopacy  were  intended  to  have  been  of  so  much 
importance  to  the  Church,  that  all  authority  must  emanate 
therefrom  in  regular  succession,  and  there  could  be  no 
Church  of  Christ  without  it ;  we  should,   most  certainly 


270  ORDINATION  OF 

not  have  found  the  scriptures  silent,  concerning  it.  We 
should  have  had,  from  Christ,  or  through  some  one  of  the 
Evangelists  or  Apostles,  direct  and  plain  instructions 
thereon  ;  so  that  there  could  not  have  remained  a  shadow 
of  doubt,  on  any  honest  heart  that  believes  the  holy  word 
of  God.  But,  astonishing  as  it  is,  after  all  the  noise  made 
by  our  would-be  successionists  and  exclusives,  there  is 
not  one  loord,  from  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  to 
justify  any  such  conclusion.  And  hence,  all  such  high 
pretensions  must  necessarily  fall  to  the  ground,  and  vanish 
like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision. 

And  what  can  be  more  absurd  than  to  suppose  that 
the  Divine  Being  would  lodge  in  the  hands  of  a  king  or 
queen — who,  when  called  to  the  throne  might  be  but  a  little 
child,  as  was  the  case  with  Edward  VII — all  supreme  ec- 
clesiastical authority,  so  that  they  must  be  considered  the 
fountain  head  of  all  spiritual  jurisdiction  in  the  Church  of 
God?  We  would  ask,  What  can  be  more  astonishing, 
and  obviously  erroneous,  than  such  doctrine  as  this  ?  *  It  is 
only  necessary  to  mention  it,  to  make  its  absurdity  ap- 
pear. 

And  is  it  not  equally  obvious  that  it  is  also  erroneous  to 
conclude  that  the  people  composing  the  flock  of  Christ, 
must  be  the  source  whence  all  ecclesiastical  authority 
must  emanate  ?  because  this  would  make  it  necessary 
that  the  sheep  after  they  had  been  gathered,  guarded,  and 
fed,  by  the  Shepherd,  should  turn  about,  and  rule,  and  govern 
him.  Nothing  can  be  more  preposterous  than  such  a  thought. 

Hence,  without  proceeding  further,  we  would  simply  re- 
mark, here  we  have  the  foundation  of  much  of  the  er- 
ror and  pride  of  exclusiveness,  that  we  find  in  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church,  and  with  many  in  the  Church  of 
England.  It  is  as  plain  as  the  shining  of  the  noonday 
sun,  that  their  premises    are   wrong;    and    consequently 


PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  271 

their  conclusions  are  erroneous.  The  Great  Head  of  the 
church  never  intended  to  place  any  man  or  set  of  men, 
in  his  stead  in  his  church ;  and  having  done  so,  to  leave 
it  in  their  hands  to  live  or  die;  according  to  their  faithful- 
ness or  unfaithfulness  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  JNo  ; 
he  never  left  it  thus,  in  the  hands  of  fallible,  sinful  men, 
after  he  purchased  it  with  his  ov^rn  precious  blood.  He  loves 
the  church,  and  gave  himself  for  it,  that  he  might  sanctify 
and  wash  it  with  his  blood. 

And  instead  of  leaving  it  to  the  caprice  of  poor  change- 
able men,  he  has  kept  the  supreme  authority  in  his  own 
hands.  He  himself,  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  the  high  Priest 
over  the  house  of  God  forever,  is  the  true  source  and  foun- 
tain of  all  spiritual  or  ecclesiastical  authority  in  his  own 
church.  And  it  is  essential  that  it  should  be  so.  For  who 
can  search  the  heart,  or  know  as  it  should  be  known, 
to  call,  qualify,  and  send  out  suitable  men,  to  do  his 
holy  work  ?  All  that  we  can  possibly  do  in  this  impor- 
tant matter,  is,  to  obey  his  heavenly  mandate  wherein  he 
has  said—"  Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  He  may 
send  forth  labourers  into  his  harvest."  He  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest  alone  can  send  suitable  men  ;  and  he  alone 
has  the  authority  so  to  do.  And  he  has  done  so.  He  alone 
can  sustain  them  and  make  them  successful  in  gathering 
in,  and  feeding,  his  flock.  And  for  the  encouragement  and 
comfort  of  his  servants,  he  has  said  he  will  do  it.  "  Lo,'* 
said  He  "lam  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world.  It  is  true,  many  ravenous  wolves  in  sheeps'  cloth- 
ing, have  crept  into  the  fold,  or  climbed  up  some  other 
way — as  was  foretold  by  the  Apostle — have  clothed  them- 
selves with  the  fleece,  and  devoured  the  sheep,  instead  of 
feeding  and  leading  them  into  green  pastures.  But  as  the 
Lord  has  said,  "by  their  fruits,  ye  shall  knovir  them,"  many 
of  them  have  been  found  out  and  sometimes  driven  from  the 


2  72  ORDINATION  OF 

fold,  before  their  ends  have  been  fully  accomplished.  And 
just  as  suie  as  he  hath  said,  "what  hath  the  wicked  to  do 
to  declare  my  counsel?"  he  will  finally  bring  all  such  to 
judgment.  And  although  they  may  say,  "  We  have  eat 
and  drank  in  thy  presence,  and  in  thy  name  cast  out  deV 
ils  ;"  He  will  answer  and  say  unto  them,  "  depart  ye  curs, 
ed,  I  never  knew  you."  For  he  never  knew  them  as  his 
properly  called  and  duly  authorised  ministers  of  his  word. 
How  high,  how  just  is  the  authority  exercised  by  Christ 
in  sending  forth  his  ministers ;  and  how  far  does  it  tran- 
scend that  authority  contended  for  as  divine,  by  those  who 
contend  for  the  succession.  This  is  a  mere  human  in- 
vention, founded  on  the  supposition  that  Christ  had  delega- 
ted his  authority  to  men ;  so  that  by  their  using  certain- 
words  or  ceremonies,  they  might  call  whom  they  think  fit 
and  thrust  them  into  the  Lord's  vineyard.  Although  for 
the  most  part,their  words  and  ceremonies  are  of  human  in- 
vention it  seems  to  be  their  opinion  that,  the  using  of  them, 
acts  as  a  charm  in  the  mouths  and  hands  of  the  succession- 
ist,  to  convey  ministerial  authority  ;  no  matter  how  wicked 
and  abandoned  the  consecrator  may  be.  How  strange  that 
rational  men  should  fall  into  such  error,  and  how  absurd 
that  they  should  persevere  therein,  while  gospel  light  now 
shines  with  all  its  splendor  and  glory.  Instead  of  Christ 
leaving  us  any  set  of  words  to  use  like  an  enchantment,  by 
which  grace  and  the  Holy  Ghost  should  he  imparted  to  qual- 
ify men  for  the  ministry ;  he  has  not  so  much  as  left  us 
any  certain  form  or  mode  of  church  government,  or  of  vis- 
ible appointment  or  ordination  to  the  holy  ministry.  We 
are  therefore  left  perfectly  free  to  choose  an  Episcopal  or  a 
Presbyterial  form,  or  to  impart  the  authority  of  the  church, 
by  the  imposition  of  hands  or  otherwise,  as  we  might  be- 
lieve best.  And  who  does  not  thank  God  for  this  Christian 
liberty  ?     It  is  true,  under  the  Jewish  economy,  and  alsa 


PROTESTANT  I]PlSCOPAL  CHURCH  273 

tinder  the  commencement  of  the  christian  dispensation,  h 
was  customary  to  use  the  imposition  of  hands,  for   various 
purposes  ;  such  as  healing  the  sick,  imparting  by  the  spe- 
cial  command  of  God,   the   gifts    of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
to  set  apart  men  who  were  already  ministers  or  Apostles, 
for  certain  or  special  work,  in  the  Lord's  vineyard.    Hence 
the   church  has,   for  the  most  part,  adopted  that  mode  in 
the  consecration  of  men  to  the  holy  ministry  ;  and  perhaps 
it  may  be  upon  the  whole  the  best.     But  some  have  not 
done  it,  because  they  have  found  nothing  in  scripture  to 
make  it  specially  obligatory  on  them.     And  who  could  say, 
in  truth,  that,  according  to  the  word  of  God  they  could  not 
be  ministers  without  it?  for  they  certainly  had,  so  far   as 
the  imposition  of  hands  is  concerned,  as  much  authority  to 
preach  God's  holy  woid   as  Paul  had,  for   fourteen  years 
after  God  called  him  to  the  ministry;  and  even  to  fill  the 
high  and  dignified  office  of  an  Apostle.    He  conferred  not 
with  flesh  and  blood,  neither  went  he  up  to  Jerusalem   to 
obtain  regular  consecration  from  the  rest  of  the  Apostles  • 
but  went  immediately,  and  that  too  by  the   command  of 
Christ,  to  the  holy  work,  assigned  him.    We  should  have 
order;  and  that  order  that  may  have   been  adopted  by  the 
church,  although  it  be  but  a  prudential  measure,  should  be, 
for  the  good  of  the  whole,  strictly  complied  with.  But  how' 
absurd  it  is  to  make  so  much  of  the  imposition  of  hands 
as  to  say,  that  it  is  essential  to  the  ministry ;  and  especial- 
ly  that  there  must  be  a  regular  line  in  the  imposition  of 
the  hands  of  Bishops,  or  there  can  be  no  properly  authoriz- 
ed ministry,  no  due  administration  of  ordinances,  and  con-- 
sequently  no  true  Church  of  Christ.     Truly,  there  would  be 
as  much  common  sense,  leason  or  scriptural  authority,  in 
saying,  we  must  all  be  Roman  Catholics,  and  go  and   kiss 
the  Pope's  big  toe  ;  or  that  we  must  all  be  Episcopaliansy 
or  all  Presbyterians,  or  damnation  will  inevitably  ensue. 
35 


274  PUSEYISM,  ETC 

Indeed  such  bigoted  notions  appear  to  be  inseparably  cot^- 
nected  with  the  doctrine  of  succession.  The  Roman  Cath- 
olics deny  salvation  to  all  that  are  not  in  the  pales  of  their 
communion  ;  and  think  they  are  doing  God  service,  when 
they  can  put  to  the  rack,  all  that  do  not  believe  with  them. 
While  Pusey  and  his  brother  Tractarians  would  professed- 
ly ,cast  off  all  that  dissent  from  them,  and  deny  them  all 
participation  in  the  covenanted  mercies  of  God. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Dr.  Pusey  of  England,  un- 
der the  influence  of  the  doctrine  of  succession,  has  been 
so  much  blinded  that  he  has  not  only  attached  to  it  (as 
appears  to  be  natural  enough)  all  the  hateful  errors  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  ;  such  as  purgatory,  the  adoration  of 
saints,  &c.,  to  get  clear  of  which  our  noble  reformers  suffer- 
ed the  loss  of  all  things  ;  but  has,  to  the  astonishment  of 
all  good  men,  repudiated  the  sacred  name  of  Protestant,  and 
wishes  to  claim  for  himself  and  followers,  that  of  Catho- 
lic ;  which,  although  good  enough,  in  itself^  has  become 
odious  to  all  the  truly  religious  world  because  of  the 
abuse  that  has  been  made  of  it.  But  in  nothing  has  the 
blind  bigotry  of  Pusey  appeared  more  glaring  than  in  what 
he  calls  a  Sermon  on  the  Holy  Eucharist.  In  his  preface 
or  introduction,  he  denies  the  doctrine  of  transubstantia- 
tion  ;  but  in  the  body  of  his  discourse  he  appears  most  ear- 
nestly to  contend  for  it.  Truly,  it  is  a  strange  mixture  of 
contradiction,  confusion  and  error.  But  it  is  the  great  and 
learned  Dr.  Pusey,  Professor  in  Oxford  college;  and  this 
goes  so  far  with  some  in  the  world,  that  they  are  ready  to 
swallow  it,  head,  horns  and  all, without  any  hesitation  what- 
ever. In  reading  the  sermon,  and  discovering^  such  a  want 
of  good  English,  good  diction  and  good  divinity,  we  could 
but  be  confirmed  in  the  conclusion  that  the  great  mass  of 
mankind  is  too  much  disposed  to  award  to  high  sounding 
Bames,  or  to  men  reputed  for  education,  abundantly  more 


PUSEYISM,   EFFECT  OF  275 

ihan  truly  belongs  to  them.  For  we  too  frequently  see 
that  men  may  obtain  all  the  honours  that  a  College  can 
confer,  and  still  be  shamefully  wanting  in  plain  common 
sense.  Dr.  Pusey  may  be  a  learned  man,  for  all  we  know 
to  the  contrary  ;  but  it  is  very  evident  that  he  is  very  defic- 
ient in  a  knowledge  of  divine  things,  and  therefore  altogeth- 
er unfit  to  t-each,  the  holy  mysteries  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

If  the  baneful  influence  of  his  errors  could  have  been 
confined  in  the  bosom  of  the  Established  Church  of  England 
-where  they  have  been  suffered  to  operate,  through  his  tracts, 
for  so  many  years,  wiih  but  little  opposition  from  any  quar- 
ter— it  would  not  have  been  of  so  much  moment.  But  they 
have  taken  a  wider  range.  They  have  crossed  the  wide  ex- 
panse of  waters,  and  found  their  way  into  this  country; 
where,  it  is  to  be  feared,  much  harm  has  already  been  done 
to  the  common  cause  of  Christianity.  If  one  member  suf- 
fer, the  whole  body,  to  some  extent,  must  necessarily  suffer 
with  it.  It  is  notorious,  that  a  number  of  the  clergy  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  have  become  so  much  infected 
with  it,  that  they  not  only,  with  Pusey  and  others  of  Eng- 
land, contend  for  the  deleterious  errors  and  absurdities  of 
the  Church  of  Rome,  and  evidently  manifest  a  desire  to 
return  to  her  communion;  but  recently,  in  the  face  of  their 
long  established  doctrines  and  usages,  one  of  their  Bishops 
has  ordained  a  man  who  was  professedly  Roman  Catholic 
in  his  faith ;  and  that,  too,  while  two  of  the  ministers  in 
his  Church,  stood  forth  manfully,  and  boldly  protested 
against  his  ordination.  Hence,  we  see,  that  not  only  the 
common  clergy,  but  some  of  the  Bishops,  of  that  branch  of 
the  Church,  have  suflered  themselves  to  be  turned  away 
from  the  true  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints. 

It  is  but  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  such  a  course  of  con- 
duct is  well  calculated,  not  only  to  distract,  butultimately  to 
divide,  and,  to  some  extent,  destroy,  this  branch  of  the  Pro- 


276  POPERY,  DESIGNS  OF 

testant  Church  ,  while  it  will  open  wide,  the  mouth  of  infi- 
delity, and  cause  the  Church  of  Rome  greatly  to  rejoice. 

Infidelity,  in  its  consequences,  in  relation  to  time,  and 
especially  to  eternity,  is  dreadful  indeed  ;  inasmuch  as  it 
gives  a  loose  rein  to  all  .manner  of  licentiousness,  and 
dooms  the  immortal  soul  to  everlasting  infamy  and  woe. 
But  Popery,  in  its  fixed  principles,  in  this  and  every  other 
country,  is  abundantly  worse  ;  as  it  binds,  in  ignorance  and 
gupersiition,  the  souls  of  men  here,  making  them  believe 
all  is  well,  while  they  count  their  beads  and  pay  the  Priest 
for  absolution ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  they  are  living  in 
all  manner  of  sin,  and  are,  every  moment,  in  danger  of  eter- 
nal misery.  What  more  dreadful  curse  can  it  entail  upon 
men,  than  so  to  deceive  them,  that  they  never  wake  up  to 
their  dreadful  condition,  until  it  is  eternally  too  late  ?  But 
this  is  not  all.  It  is  industriously  engaged,  in  Europe  and 
America,  to  carry  out  its  dreadful  end,  to  the  greatest  extent 
imaginable.  No  one  can  doubt  this,  when  he  understands 
what  is  meant  by  the  Leopold  Platform,  as  it  now  exists  in 
Europe ;  the  very  design  of  which  is,  to  raise  money,  to 
send  to  this  country,  for  the  purpose  of  building  churches 
and  colleges,  and  the  doing  of  every  thing  else  effectual  to 
the  promotion  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  And  the 
object  of  this  is,  that  she  may  take  the  ascendancy,  not  only 
in  all  ecclesiastical  affairs,  over  all  the  Protestant  Churches, 
but  also  to  subvert  all  our  civil  institutions,  in  this  free  and 
happy  country.  And,  that  they  might  have  the  greater 
probability  of  success,  it  is  well  known  that  they  have  em- 
ployed the  Jesuits  ;  the  most  hateful,  because  they  are  the 
most  cunning,  designing,  and  dangerous  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  The  Bishops  and  Priests  that  come  to 
this  country,  have  sworn  allegiance  to  the  Pope  ;  who  has 
absolved  them,  from  all  obligation  to  observe  any  other  oath 
of  allegiance,  to  be  taken  to  any  other  government.     They 


POPERY,  EFFECTS  OF  277 

may,  therefore,  forswear  themselves,  murder,  or  commit 
any  other  act,  which  may,  in  their  estimation  enable  thern 
to  accomplish  their  end  ;  and  every  one  that  knows  any  thing 
about  them,  knows  that  their  motto  is,  "  The  end  sanctifies 
the  means."  Yes  ;  these  men,  so  hateful  to  other  govern- 
ments, because  of  their  insidious  designs  to  overturn  them, 
as  to  have  been,  not  only  banished  from  them,  but  to  have 
required  the  interference  of  the  Pope  himself,  to  put  them 
down  ;  these  men,  we  say,  are  here.  They  are  here  for  no 
other  purpose,  than  to  use  all  their  craft  and  cunning,  to 
destroy  our  civil  as  well  as  religious  liberties.  They  put 
on,  no  doubt,  a  very  fair  face,  and  join  in  the  popular  cry 
for  toleration.  But  let  it  be  remembered  that  they  are  the 
sworn  vassals  of  the  Pope,  and  under  his  special  juiisdic- 
tion.  Their  principles  are  the  same  now,  as  ever  they 
were  ;  opposed  to  civil  and  religious  liberty ;  and  if  they 
are  permitted  to  go  on  to  accomplish  their  end,  they  will 
not  rest,  until  every  Protestant  Bible  is  burnt,  and  every 
faithful  Christian  destroyed  as  a  heretic. 

Who,  then,  but  would  lament,  at  seeing  many,  in  a  sister 
church — a  branch  of  the  Protestant  family,  whose  foie- 
fathers  bled  to  sustain  the  holy  cause  of  our  good  institutions 
in  this  country — so  far  turning  away  from  the  faith  once 
maintained  by  them  ;  and  so  acting,  in  the  premises,  whe- 
ther designedly  or  not;  as  to  aid  in  this  unhallowed  work. 
The  more  it  is  calculated  to  rejoice  the  hearts  of  Papists, 
the  more  it  must  deject  the  holy  Protestant  Church  of  the 
living  and  true  God.  It  is  said  in  the  blessed  Bible,  if  the 
Jews  had  known,  they  would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of 
Life  and  Glory.  And  surely  we  may  say,  that  if  our  Pro- 
testant brethren  did  but  consider,  they  would  not  assist  in 
laying  waste  the  heritage  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel ;  no, 
not  even  for  the  sake  of  claiming  supremacy  over  their 


278  SAMUEL  SEABURY,  D.  D.  ^ 

» 

sister  churches,  by  the  false  and  delusive  notion  of  Apos- 
tolic Succession. 

But  some  of  them,  at  last,  appear  to  be  trying  to  shift 
their  ground  ;  which  gives  some  hope  that  they  are  waking 
up  to  their  true  condition.  Some  appear  to  wish  to  aban- 
don Bishop  White  as  their  first  and  principal  Bishop;  and 
thus  turn  away  from  all  they  obtained  in  old  England,  to 
claim  their  apostolic  authority  from  the  Rev.  Samuel  Sea- 
bury  D.  D,  who  as  they  say  was  ordained  in  Scotland  on 
the  14th  of  November  1784.*  We  are  glad  to  see  our 
friends  moving;  because  when  men  begin  to  awake  they  are 
almost  sure  to  turn  over.  But  what  can  be  gained  by  this 
in  the  way  of  succession?  Will  a  different  man,  and  a 
different  country  do  any  good,  when  the  source  of  author- 
ity is  no  higher?  If  Seabury  received  Catholic  orders,  was 
it  not  from  the  most  corrupt  fountain,  without  any  claim  to 
succession  ;  and  any  thing  under  heaven  but  Apostolic  ? 
Bid  Bishop  Seabury  commence  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  this  country  ?  or,  did  Bishop  White,  after  wait- 
ing in  England  for  his  consecration,  think  so  little  of  it,  as 
to  consent  to  be  re-ordained  by  Bishop  Seabury  ?  Surely 
not.  Inasmuch,  then,  as  the  church  was  never  organized 
till  Bishop  White  came  home  to  this  country  ;  and  as  he 
has  ever  been  considered  the  head  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  we  must  hold  our  friends  to  it.  They  must 
confess  their  true  and  legitimate  origin  ;  which,  as  bad  as  it 
may  be  about  succession,  is  as  good  as  that  obtained 
through  Dr.  Seabury.  The  truth  is,  our  brethren  if  they 
are  guided  by  the  light  of  history,  must  confess  that  they 
have  no  claim  to  Apostolic  succession ;  and  that  their 
church,  in  its  organization,  is  no  better  than  other  Protest- 
ant churches.     And  instead  of  being  carried  away  with  the 


See  "  The  Episcopal  Church  defended,  &c,     By  Jame?  Bolles,  A.  M. 


ORDINATION    OF  279^ 

fulsome  idea  of  supremacy  through  a  claim  of  Apostolic 
succession,  they  should  honestly  confess  their  true  origin, 
and  labour  to  cultivate  christian  charity  with  all  God's  peo- 
ple ;  that  religion,  pure  and  undefiled,  should  be  regarded 
by  them  as  the  one  thing  needful,  and  their  own  great  ob- 
ject should  be,  to  spread  scriptural  holiness  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  How  much  better,  how 
much  more  christian-like,  would  this  be,  than  to  cherish 
that  spirit  of  bigotry,  that  would  exclude  all  their  fellow- 
christians,  who  do  not  believe  with  them,  about  succession, 
from  all  the  covenanted  mercies  of  God  !  How  much 
more  comely  would  it  be  for  them,  than  to  set  up  to  be  the 
Church,  the  only  true  Church ;  when  according  to  their 
own  showing,  the  church  of  Christ  is  composed  of  ''faith- 
ful men,"  &c;  in  view  of  which,  in  all  probability  one  half 
of  their  members,  not  only  have  no  claim  to  that  faith  that 
justifies  the  soul,  but  deny,  that  justification,  by  which  they 
could  be  faithful ;  or  which  is  the  same,  a  knowledge  of 
salvation  by  the  remission  of  their  sins,  and  consequent- 
ly are  unprepared,  in  the  nature  of  things,  to  be  the  faith- 
ful children  of  God.  Here  then  according  to  their  own- 
prayer  book,  one  half,  if  not  more,  of  their  own  members, 
are  not  members  at  all  of  the  mystical  body  of  Christ.  The 
scriptures  being  true,  it  is  by  faith,  and  faith  alone,  that  we 
are  justified,  through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ. 
When  justified  by  faith,  we  are  made  partakers  of  the  spirit 
of  Christ;  and  by  his  holy  spirit  we  are  adopted  into  the  fam- 
ily of  Christ.  And  all  this  must  be,  if  we  are  his  children  ; 
for  it  is  said,  "  If  ye  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ  ye  are 
none'  of  his."  How  plain  it  is  then,  that  if  we  deny  justi- 
fication by  faith  alone,  we  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  and 
are  none  of  his. 

How  unseemly  is  it  for  the  high  churchmen  to  say,  toe  are 
the  Church,  the  Catholic  Church,  renouncing  the   sacred 


280  TRUE  SUCCESSION,  ETC. 

> 

name,  Protestant ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  calling  all  the' 
rest  of  the  American  churches  dissenters;  as  though  they 
thought  the  people  of  this  country,  were  as  ignorant  as  the 
people  of  the  darkest  ages  of  the  world.  They  seem  to 
have  forgotten,  that  we  can  read  our  Bible  ;  and  conse- 
quently, know  that  they  are  as  much  dissenters  as  any  oth- 
er church  can  possibly  be.  In  truth,  there  are  no  dissen- 
ters here,  properly  speaking;  unless  there  be  some  little 
bands,  that  have  broken  off  from  some  of  the  large  branches 
of  the  christian  church;  but  these  do  not  call  themselves  so^ 
But  what  makes  it  the  more  ludicrous  is,  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church  is  quite  a  young  branch  of  the  church, 
compared  with  some  others.  She  came  into  existence 
long  since  the  Baptists,  Presbyterians,  or  even  the  much 
despised  Methodists.  But  she  is  a  continuance  of  thechureh 
of  England!  Ah,  then  so  are  we.  And  she  is  Apostolic! 
And  so  are  we,  fully  as  much,  and  we  think,  if  any  thing  a 
little  more  so.  For  leaving  out  the  peculiar  name  by 
which  we  are  distinguished  as  a  branch  of  the  church,  we' 
claim  the  true  character  of  the  Apostolic  church :  as  we 
have  the  true  Apostolic  doctrines,  the  true  Apostolic 
faith,  and  the  true  Apostolic  spirit,  read  and  known  of  all 
men.  And,  in  all  this,  we  claim  to  be  in  the  true  succes- 
sion. For  the  true  succession,  does  not  consist  in  a  suc- 
cession of  men,  especially  of  bad  men,  who  have  wickedly 
usurped  ecclesiastical  authority;  but  in  pure  Bible  doc- 
trine, faith,  and  discipline.  These  we  have;  and  having 
them,  we  have  Christ ;  and  must  be  apostolic,  and  conse- 
quently in  the  true  succession. 

But  another  thing  which  places  our  exalted  friends  in  a 
very  awkward  attitude  is,  they  hold  baptism  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins — than  which,  a  more  fatal  mistake  could  hardly 
be  made — and  that  none  can  duly  administer  it,  but  one  of 
those  in  the  succession.     Yet,  many  of  their  members,  and, 


POPERY,  EFFECTS  OF,  ETG  281 

UQ  d<jubt,  many  of  the  ministers  of  their  communio?!,  were 
baptized  by  the  hated  dissenters.  Nor  were  they  ever  re- 
baptized  by  them  ;  and  thus  the  validity  of  their  baptism  is 
at  once  acknowledged.  This,  most  certainly,  should  never 
be,  if  their  doctrine  be,  in  their  own  estimation,  true.  Pros- 
elytes should  never  be  allowed  to  join  their  Church,  without 
being  re-baptized  ;  and  especially  no  minister  ;  for  without 
it,  according  to  their  views,  they  cannot  be  in  the  pale  of 
the  true  Apostolic  Church.  Until  they  do  this,  we  hope 
we  shall  no  longer  hear  them  saying,  in  reference  to  such 
as  they  call  dissenters,  by  way  of  reproach,  that  the  differ- 
ence between  us  and  them  is,  "We  are  here  and  they  are 
there;  we  are  in  the  Church,  and  they  are  out  of  it,"  And 
may  we  not  suppose,  that  some  have  gone  as  far  as  their 
old  mother,  the  Roman  Catholic  Church ;  and  would  say, 
if  they  have  not  done  it  already.  Out  of  our  pale,  there  is 
no  salvation  ? 

And  who  does  not  see,  that  all  this  is  calculated  to  assist 
the  progress  of  Papacy  in  this  country  ?  And  who  but  must 
lament  over  every  thing  of  this  kind  ?  seeing  it  is  opposed 
to  all  our  free  institutions.  Popery  cannot  live  in  the  light 
and  glory  of  a  republican  government;  and  hence,  its  great 
object  is,  to  burn  the  Bible,  and  put  out  our  light.  It  is 
impossible  for  men  to"  dread  and  hate  Popery  more  than 
they  ought  to  do.  And  it  should  be  understood,  that  in  its 
spirit  and  principles,  it  is  the  same  in  this  country  and  in 
this  age,  as  ever  it  was,  in  any  other  place  or  time.  May 
the  Lord  deliver  us  from  Popery. 

How  much  better,  as  we  have  said,  would  it  be  for  the 
high  churchmen,  in  this  country,  to  follow  charity  with  all 
men,  and  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord! 

Let  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  then,  keep  in  her 
proper  place,  mind  her  old  land-marks,  cherish  the  spiri?  of 
36 


2S2  FOPERY,  EFFECTS  OF,  &C. 

the  ancient  reformers — the  men  of  God,  who  suffered  and 
bled  for  pure  and  holy  religion  ;  and  then  will  she  stand  as 
a  part  of  the  holy  redeemed,  who  have  "  returned  and  come 
tp  Zion  with  songs  ;"  who  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness  ; 
and  from  whom  "sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee  away."  Then 
shall  she  have  no  need  to  clamor  about  trifles — which, 
even  if  possessed,  would  do  her  no  good — but  her  light 
would  break  forth  in  obscurity,  and  all  should  see  and  ac- 
knowledge, that  she  had  been  with  Christ ;  who  has  pur- 
chased his  Church  with  his  own  precious  blood  ;  and  will 
finally  give  her  the  blood-washed  robe,  with  which  she  shall 
stand  in  the  presence  of  God,  in  that  great  day  when  he 
shall  come  in  the  clouds,  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  with  his 
holy  angels,  to  .render  to  every  man,  according  as  his  work 
shall  be.     Amen,  amen. 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  LIFE. 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


Some  years  ago  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference  made 
a  request  of  all  its  members,  that  each  one  should  prepare 
and  keep  by  him,  a  short  sketch  of  his  life  ;  which,  in  case 
of  death,  might  stand  as  a  proper  foundation,  on  which  to 
publish  his  memoirs.  It  is  in  obedience  to  this  re- 
quisition, in  part,  that  I  have  concluded  to  publish  a 
short  sketch  of  my  life;  and  especially  as  I  have  been  an 
itinerant  Methodist  preacher  for  many  years,  and  must  now 
be  near  the  end  of  my  earthly  career. 

1  was  born  the  1 6th  day  of  June,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1783,  in  Anne  Arundel  County,  State  of  Maryland.  My  fath- 
er's name  was  Keeley  Tydings  ;  and  when  about  sixteen 
years  of  age,  he  entered  as  a  soldier  in  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  and  continued  in  service,  four  years ;  at 
the  close  of  which,  the  cause  of  liberty  triumphed,  and 
America  was  freed  from  a  foreign  yoke.  I  have  often, 
when  a  small  child,  sat  with  the  most  intense  interest,  to 
hear  him  detail  to  his  neighbors,  the  many  perils  and  hard- 
ships through  which  he  had  passed;  especially,  when  fight- 
ing the  battles  of  his  country.  And  as  he  was,  as  I  have 
often  heard  him  say,  in  almost  all  the  hard  fought  battles 
for  the  last  four  years  of  the  war  ;  he  must  have  experien- 
ced many ;  and  I  suppose  it  will  not  be  thought  amiss  for 
me  to  say,  from  all  I  could  ever  learn,  that,  in  all  probabil- 
ity, our  beloved  Washingtpn  had  but  few,  if  any,  braver 
men,  fighting  under  the  glorious  stars  and  stripes  of  his 
country,  than  he  was. 


288  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

As  soon  as  the  war  was  ended,  he  returned  to  the  house 
of  his  father,  Richard  Tydings;  and  in  a  short  time  married 
Mary  Beard— the  daughter  of  Richard  and  Mary  Beard,  who 
lived  near  Queen  Ann  on  the  Patuxent  River — who  be- 
came my  beloved  mother.  She  was  of  the  most  amiable, 
kind  and  patient  temper;  which  enabled  her  to  be,  at  all 
times,  respectful  and  affable  to  all  around  her,  and  gained 
her  the  esteem  and  love  of  all  who  knew  her.  I  am  now 
old,  and  gray-headed;  and  although  my  mother  died, 
when  I  was  about  eleven  years  of  age,  her  dear  name, 
sounds  to  the  present  day  as  the  sweetest  music  in 
my  ear.  Oh,  my  mother,  my  precious  mother,  how  I 
love  to  dwell  upon  that  dearest  of  all  earthly  names  !  JNev- 
er  can  I  forget  her  tender  care  over  me  ;  and  especially  the 
deep  piety  that  led  her,  in  every  possible^way,  to  manifest 
her  solicitude  for  my  respectability  in  life,  and  especially 
the  salvation  of  my  soul.  While  writing  this,  I  think  I 
can  see  her  when  taking  me  by  the  hand,  and  leading  me 
into  her  closet,  and  with  the  big  tears  standing  in  her  eyes, 
and  her  kind  soft  hand  resting  upon  my  infant  head,  while 
she  taught  me  to  fear  the  Lord  and  to  call  upon  his  holy 
name.  When  I  was  yet  very  young,  my  kind  parents  both 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church ;  and  as  the  custom 
was  in  that  early  day,  and  ever  should  be  every  where  and 
at  all  times,  family  prayer  was  constantly  kept  up.  And 
through  this  means,  and  the  special  attentions  and  instruc- 
tions of  my  mother,  who  had  the  best  opportunity,  in  that 
early  stage  of  my  life  to  watch  over  me,  I  received  my 
first  religious  impressions  ;  which  now  appear  to  me,  to 
have  been  among  the  first,  if  not  the  first  of  my  lecoUec- 
tion.  The  impressions  then  made  upon  my  mind  were  deep, 
and  never  at  any  .time  entirely  forgotten;  although  after  the 
death  of  my  mother  I  became  thoughtless  and  wild  as 
others,  and  fell  into  many  foolish  sins.  Yet  by  the  effect  of 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  289 

her  instruction,  I  was  prevented  from  falling  into  many 
gross  transgressions  in  which  others  of  my  acquaintance  ap- 
peared readily  to  indulge;  and  by  it,  finally,  my  conversion 
was  brought  about.  This,  I  the  more  readily  mention,  for 
the  purpose  of  leaving  testimony  to  the  importance  of  early 
religious  impressions.  I  was  naturally  lively  and  volatile; 
and  might  have  been  early  led  on  in  the  way  of  sin  and 
folly,  to  the  most  ruinous  extent,  as  many  hundreds  and 
thousands  have  been  for  the  want  of  early  religious  educa- 
tion. But,  i  shall  have  to  praise  God,  as  long  as  I  live  for 
the  prayers  and  leligious  care  of  my  parents,  especially, 
while  ia  tender  age  ;  for  it  was  his  free  and  unmerited 
grace  that  reached  their  hearts,  and  brought  them  into  his 
own  beloved  Zion,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Here, 
they  were  taught  truly  religious  principles,  religious  duty, 
as  well  as  true  scriptural  doctrine;  under  the  influence  and 
practice  of  which,  my  tender  mind  became  seriously  im- 
pressed with  the  necessity  of  fearing  and  serving  God,  in 
order  to  be  happy  here  and  to  dwell  in  heaven  hereafter. 

So  deep  were  the  impressions  made  upon  my  mind  by 
family  prayer,  and  by  my  mother's  special  instructions,  that 
although,  but  a  small  child,  I  was  led  to  pray  in  secret, 
and  took  delight  in  religious  exercises.  Parents  frequent- 
ly err,  under  the  impression  that  their  children  are  too 
young  to  receive  impressions  of  any  kind,  either  for  good, 
or  for  evil ;  when  the  truth  is,  they,  are  capable  of  receiv- 
ing in  youth,  impressions  never  to  be  erased  from  their 
minds.  Hence  the  great  importance,  not  only  of  religious 
instruction,  but  especially,  religious  example. 

But  my  mother  died,  and  my  father  being  necessarily 
out,  about  his  worldly  avocations,  I  was  leit  too  much  to 
my  own  guidance.  Hence,  by  little  and  little,  my  religious 
impressions  wore  away,  and  I  fell  into  the  broad  beaten  road 
that  leads  to  everlasting  ruir.  And  although  I  had  many 
37 


290  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

checks  of  conscience,  and  many  lively  recollections  of  mj 
early  religious  instruction,  and  was  thereby  prevented  from 
many  gross  transgressions  ;  I  thus  ran  on  until  I  was  in 
my  twentieth  year,  when,  through  the  instrumentality  of  a 
young  convert,  I  was  fully  awakened  to  my  dangerous  con- 
dition. We  lived  together  in  the  city  of  Annapolis,  where 
I  had  the  opportunity  of  noting  his  constant  attention  to 
secret  prayer,  at  stated  times  through  the  day;  his  fervent 
prayers  at  night  before  he  would  lay  down  to  rest,  and  his 
earnest  wrestling  with  God,  as  soon  as  he  rose  in  the  morn- 
ing. And  it  was  this  that  brought  up  fresh  to  my  memory, 
the  instruction  I  had  received  in  childhood,  so  long  and 
shamefully  neglected  ;  and  such  were  the  strong  impres- 
sions made  on  my  mind,  I  soon  begain  to  pray. 

About  that  time,  God  in  meicy  revived  his  work  under 
the  ministrations  of  brother  Bloodgood,  who  was  then  our 
stationed  minister,  and  many  young  people  were  brought 
home  to  God ;  and  in  addition  to  the  help  I  received  from 
that  quarter,  the  old  members  were  much  revived,  and  I  re- 
ceived special  help  from  them.  Among  them  was  one 
dear  sister,  whose  name  was  Hurst,  whose  husband  was  a 
merchant  and  a  class  leader,  and  whom  I  always  remember 
with  gratitude  and  christian  love.  She  took  me  by  the 
hand,  and  pressed  me  affectionately  to  make  her  house  the 
place  of  my  resort,  whenever  I  had  a  leisure  hour;  as  there 
I  would  frequently  find  the  young  religious  membeis,  who 
met  together  to  strengthen  each  other  in  the  service  of  God. 
I  did  so  ;  and  truly  I  found  her  a  nursing  mother  in  Israel, 
It  is  impossible  to  tell — without  experience  of  it — how 
much  good  is  received  by  one  earnestly  seeking  salvation, 
from  the  kind  attention  of  God's  dear  children.  It  was  but 
a  little  time,  till  I  w^as  almost  in  despair,  and  began  to  con- 
clude, I  was  so  ignorant,  and  had  been  so  wicked,  that 
God  could  not  reach  my  case  ;  or  that  it  was  impossible 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  291 

hi  him  to  make  me  understand,  what  it  was  to  be  bom 
again.  I  had  wept,  and  prayed,  for  about  three  weeks,  but 
had  found  no  deliverance,  and  now  concluded  I  would  give 
up  the  struggle.  But  that  morning  a  friend  of  mine,  whom  I 
had  dearly  loved  in  my  wicked  days,  and  who  was  still  in 
sin,and  as  I  supposed,  much  opposed  to  religion,  came  and 
told  me,  that  another  wicked  companion  of  ours,  had  profes- 
sed religion  on  the  previous  night ;  and,  said  he,  you  know 
that  he  is  no  hypocrite,  I  saw  he  was  deeply  touched  ; 
and  this  caused  me,  as  soon  as  he  left  me,  to  resolve  I  would 
try  once  more,  and  if  I  perished,  it  should  be  at  the  ieei  of 
mercy.  I  prayed  much  through  the  day ;  and  as  there  was 
an  opportunity,  I  went  to  a  prayer  meeting  at  night;  and 
such  were  my  feelings  and  views,  of  my  own  unworthiness, 
that  1  concluded,  1  was  not  worthy  so  much  as  to  mingle 
with  God's  people,  or  to  receive  the  notice  of  any  one. 
Hence  I  took  my  seat  near  the  door,  and  joined  heartily  in 
prayer  to  Almighty  God  for  mercy.  We  had  not  long  been 
thus  engaged,  before  a  w^orthy  and  zealous  brother  by  the 
name  of  Gamaliel  Taylor  came  to  me,  laid  his  arms  around 
me,  and  began  to  encourage  me  to  look  to  Christ,  the  friend 
of  sinners  for  help.  My  heart,  already  humbled  in  the  dust, 
could  no  longer  contain  the  mighty  load,  and  I  cried  aloud 
for  deliverance.  It  was  not  long  until  the  Lord  in  mercy 
heard  my  cry  and  sent  deliverance  from  his  holy  hill ;  and 
now  the  Lord  having  answered  for  himself,  and  taught  me 
in  his  own  school,  all  was  plain  to  my  understanding  and 
affections,  and  I  wondered  I  had  not  received  the  blessing 
before,  for  it  seemed  to  be  nigh  me,  in  my  mouth,  in  my 
very  heart.  My  guilt,  condemnation  and  fear,  were  all 
gone  ;  and  all  was  light  and  peace,  and  joy.  Oh,  the  won. 
ders  of  that  blessed  hour,  I  never  shall  forget  !  It  appeared 
to  me,  that  it  was  such  amazing  condescension  and  good- 
ness in  God's  dear  children,  to  pray  for  and  help  me  as 


292  A  SKETCH  OF  THE- 

they  did;  and  still  more  astonishing,  that  the  goodness  and 
mercy  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord,  could  reach  my 
case,  and  enable  such  a  poor  sinner  as  I  was,  to  understand 
his  redeeming  grace,  and  pardoning  love.  When  I  return- 
ed home,  and  went  to  rest,  such  was  the  illumination  of 
my  soul,  that  all  appeared  to  be  light  around  me  ;  and  what 
was  remarkable,  it  appeared  to  me  when  I  awoke  in 
the  morning,  that  it  had  been  so  all  the  night  long. 

I  was  soon  taught  to  believe,  tha'^t  it  was  my  privilege  to 
grow  in  grace,  and  to  receive  still  brighter  evidence  of  my 
acceptance  with  God.  For  this  I  longed,  and  constantly 
prayed  ;  for  I  found,  the  more  I  loved  the  Saviour,  the  more 
I  wanted  to  love  him.  But,  although  I  was  constantly  in 
a  happy  frame  of  mind,  and  the  Lord  appeared  to  nurse  me 
in  my  weakness,  as  a  kind  parent  would  a  tender  infant  ; 
for  some  time  I  received  no  special  manifestation  of  His 
grace,  until  one  day,  while  praying  in  secret,  he  so  abun- 
dantly blessed  my  soul,  that  I  hardly  knew  where  I  was,  or 
how  I  got  from  the  garret  to  the  lower  floor.  I  felt  so  light, 
as  I  walked,  that  I  scarcely  seemed  to  touch  the  steps  or 
floor  beneath  my  feet.  And  frequently,  since  that  time,  the 
Lord  has  abundantly  blessed  my  soul  with  the  smiles  of 
His  face,  and  enabled  me  to  rejoice  in  hope  of  His  glory. 
And  now,  whether  I  shall  ever  attain  to  the  blessedness  of 
the  saints  in  light,  or  not — which  will  depend  upon  my 
feeing  faithful  unto  the  end — I  have  never,  from  that  day  to 
this,  doubted,  that  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  pardoned  my  sins 
and  made  me  his  child,  by  free,  unmerited  grace.  And  all 
this  blessedness  I  attribute,  under  God,  as  has  already  been 
ntimated,  to  the  kind  attention  and  Christian  instruction 
of  God's  dear  people  ;  for,  had  they  not  taken  me  so  affec- 
tionately by  the  hand,  and  supported  and  led  me  in  the 
good  and  right  way,  in  my  ignorance  and  despair,  after  stri- 
ving awhile  without  success,  I  might  have  given  up  all  for 


AUTHOR'S    LIFE  293 

lost,  and  sunk  again  into  sin  and  folly.  And  here,  may  I 
be  permitted  to  say,  christians,  when  they  see  a  poor  sinner 
in  distress,  on  account  of  his  sins,  should  never  fail  to  use 
their  best  and  kindest  endeavors,  to  help  him  to  find  the 
Lord,  in  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  For  thus  they  may 
help  some  poor,  weak,  one,  to  be  successful ;  who  otherwise 
might,  through  discouragement,  give  over,  and  finally  be 
lost.  May  God  help  His  dear  people  to  be  more  than  ever, 
attentive  to  mourners  in  Zion. 

It  was  not  long  after  I  embraced  the  pure  religion  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  until  1  lemoved  to  the  country  ;  carrying 
with  me  a  certificate  of  my  membership.  But,  as  the  class 
nearest  to  me  w^as  about  four  miles  off,  and  circumstances 
did  not  immediately  favor  me,  I  did  not,  for  some  weeks, 
go  and  present  it ;  and  when  I  went,  I  was  afraid  if  I  did, 
I  should  be  rebuked  for  my  neglect,  and,  perhaps,  turned 
away.  But  at  last  I  took  courage  and  presented  my  certifi- 
cate ;  and,  to  my  astonishment  and  great  delight,  the  good 
old  man,  who  was  also  the  class-leader,  received  me  gra- 
ciously, with  many  kind  and  encouraging  words.  I,  indeed, 
felt  it  as  a  sw^eet  balm  to  my  soul,  and  w^ent  home  rejoi- 
cing. 

I  had  such  humiliating  view^s  of  my  own  weakness  and 
unworthiness,  that  I  had  no  thought  of  any  thing  more  than 
trying  to  be  an  acceptable  private  member.  But,  after  a 
while,  I  was  exalted  to  be  a  leader  of  a  colored  class  ;  and 
truly  I  felt  it  a  great  honor,  and  attended  to  it  diligently, 
and  had  many  precious,  refreshing,  seasons,  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  duty  and  trust  so  unexpectedly  imposed  upon 
me.  But,  even  here,  I  was  not  long  permitted  to  remain  ; 
for  I  find,  in  looking  over  my  papers,  that,  on  the  23d  of  No- 
vember, 1805,  at  Federal  Quarterly  Meeting,  by  order  of  the 
Quarterly  Conference,  Daniel  Hitt,  our  Presiding  Elder  for 


294  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

Severn  circuit,  gave  me  license  to  exhort ;  and  the  last  time 
it  was  renewed,  was  by  the  same  Presiding  Elder,  January 
31,  1807.  And,  while  using  this  great  privilege,  thus  freely 
granted  me,  I  became  exercised  in  mind  about  calling  sin- 
ners to  repentance,  by  preaching  the  Gospel.  But,  from 
this,  I  was  frequently  relieved,  by  concluding,  as  I  was  so 
very  ignorant  of  the  Scriptures,  and  what  it  was  to  preach  a 
sermon,  that  it  must  all  be  from  the  adversary  of  souls  ; 
who  designed^  thereby,  to  ensnare  and  ruin  me  forever. 
But  the  feeling  would  return,  as  often  as  I  shook  it  off;  and, 
as  desirous  as  I  was  to  banish  it,  forever,  from  my  mind, 
for  weeks  together,  whether  asleep  or  awake,  my  mind  ap- 
peared to  dwell  upon  that  subject ;  and  the  impression  was, 
that  it  was  my  duty  to  engage  in  that  holy  work.  But 
never  could  I  be  fully  persuaded  that  it  was  from  the  Lord, 
until  one  Sabbath  day,  after  hearing  a  good  sermon,  in 
Begnal's  meeting-house,  (as  it  was  called,)  I  was  riding 
home  alone,  meditating  on  what  I  had  heard  ;  all  at  once, 
my  understanding  was  opened,  to  understand  the  Scrip* 
tures  ;  a  flood  of  light  flowed  into  my  mind,  and  I  felt  as 
if  commissioned,  by  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  to  la- 
bor in  His  vineyard.  I  was  truly  amazed,  at  what  I  had 
received ;  and  stopped  my  horse  in  the  road,  and  lifted  up 
my  heart  to  God,  in  deep  devotion  and  praise.  My  mind 
was  made  up,  and  it  was  not  long  till  I  had  an  opportunity 
to  try  whether  all  was  right  or  not.  I  was  called  upon  to 
preach  a  funeral  sermon  ;  for,  although  I  had  no  license  to 
preach,  all  around  me  appeared  to  believe  it  to  be  my  duty, 
and  determined  to  aid  as  much  as  possible,  to  thrust  me  out 
in  the  work.  I  obeyed  the  call,  for  the  first  time  ;  and  went 
to  the  house  at  the  time  appointed,  where  there  was  a  great 
concourse  of  people ;  and,  with  great  trembling  and  fear,  I 
took  for  my  text,  '•'  These  shall  go  away  into  everlasting 
punishment ;  but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal ;"  found  in 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  295 

the  Gospel  according  to  St.  Matthew,  xxv  c,  46  v.  My 
trembling  soon  left  me,  and  I  had  great  liberty;  and  the 
Lord  appeared  to  be  in  our  midst,  powerfully  applying  his 
own  word.  And  I  have  often  thought,  I  have  seldom  since, 
preached  a  better  sermon  than  I  did  that  day;  and  this 
greatly  encouraged  me  to  persevere  in  that  good  and  holy 
work.  Accordingly,  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  1807,  I  ob- 
tained license  to  preach,  through  an  order  of  a  Quarterly 
Meeting  Conference,  from  our  Presiding  Elder,  the  Rev. 
Nelson  Reed,  who  had,  but  a  short  time  before,  succeeded 
our  venerable  and  much  beloved  D,  Hitt ;  and  he  renewed 
the  license  again,  the  7th  day  of  January,  1809.  1  have  ofven 
felt  great  gratification,  in  having  received  my  first  authority 
to  labor  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  from  two  such  venera- 
ble, talented,  and  beloved  ministers  of  the  Gospel  as  D. 
Hitt  and  N.  Reed.  Their  names  stood  high  in  all  the 
churches,  and  they  were  beloved  wherever  they  were  known. 
But  their  labors  are  over,  and  they  have  now,  for  some  con- 
siderable time,  entered  into  the  joy  of  their  Lord. 

Although  I  was   now  satisfied  that  it  was  my  duty  to 

preach  God's  holy  word,  yet  I  had  no  conviction  whatever, 

that  it  was  my  duty  to  give  myself  up  wholly  to  the  work,  by 

entering  into  the  itinerant  connection.      I  concluded  that 

what  little  I  could  do,  could  be  as  well  done   at  home, 

among  my  neighbors,  as  any  where  else  ;  and  that  all  I  had 

to  do,  was  to  labor  as  a  local  preacher,  in  the  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church.     And,  what  appeared  fully  to  settle  the 

question  was,  that  about  the  month  of  July,  1806,— which 

was  previous  to  my  obtaining  license  to  preach— I  became 

a  married  man.     I  married  Miss  Mary  Mullikin,  daughter  of 

Capt.  Thomas  Mullikin,  in  the  Fork  of  Patuxant,  Anne 

Arundel  county,  State  of  Maryland.      I  was  happy  in  my 

choice  of  a  companion  ;  and,  as  I  thought,  settled  down  for 

life.      Our  first-born  was   a  lovely  daughter;  whom  we 


296  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

called  Elizabeth  Williams — after  her  grand-mother  Wil' 
Hams — who,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  lived,  and  is  now 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Morrison,  of  Wheeling,  Virginia.  On 
the  2d  of  October  1808, — we  had  :a  fine  son,  whom  we 
named  William  Nelson;  and,  although  from  previous 
health,  and  a  good  sound  constitution,  we  did  expect  a 
speedy  and  safe  recovery,  it  pleased  the  Almighty  disposer 
of  all  events,  whose  ways  are  past  finding  out,  to  lay  his 
heavy  hand  of  affliction  upon  us,  and  after  eleven  days  of 
confinement,  to  remove  my  companion  by  death,  from  time 
to  eternity  ;  and  in  a  few  weeks  more  to  take  away  by  the 
same  stern  messenger,  our  lovely  boy.  Hence,  I  was  left 
with  only  my  dear  little  daughter,  who  was  then  about  sev- 
enteen months  oid,  to  lament  my  loss.  And  no  one  can 
imagine  how  lonely,  and  desolate  I  felt ;  except  those  who 
have  had  the  same  painful  experience.  Truly  I  was 
greatly  afflicted ;  and  what  has  ever  been  strange  to  me, 
in  the  midst  of  this  affliction,  an  aged  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel came  to  me  and  said.  Will  yoii  go  now?  as  though  I 
had  previously  refused  to  enter  into  the  travelling  connec- 
tion ;  which,  had  not  been  the  case.  However,  I  forthwith 
agreed  to  do  so.  But,  after  every  preparation  was  made, 
and  the  time  drew  near,  I  begged  father  Toy,  the  minis- 
ter alluded  to,  for  one  more  year.  I  pleaded  that  my  busi- 
ness was  not  settled,  and  that  I  should  loose  much,  if  I  did 
not  attend  to  it ;  but  the  truth  was,  1  was  afraid  to  go,  and 
felt  a  great  aversion  to  an  itinerant  life.  And  so  earnest 
were  my  pleadings,  that,  had  it  been  almost  any  one  beside 
father  Toy,  I  should  no  doubt  have  succeeded;  but  after  hear 
ing  me  out,  he  answered  in  the  most  positive  and  command- 
ing style,  *'  Sir,  you  shall  go  now.  I  have  taken  'pains  to 
get  you  ready  ;  you  ought  to  go,  and  if  you  do  not  go  now, 
you  never  will;  and  you  shall  go."  1  loved  him  as  a  kind 
father  in  the  gospel ;  and  consequently  he  had  great  infiu- 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  297 

ence  over  me.  Hence,  I  yielded  to  his  stern  mandate,  for 
which  I  have  often  thanked  our  good  and  gracious  God; 
Accordingly,  my  name  was  taken  on  to  conference  ;  1 
was  received  on  probation,  and  appointed  to  Calvert  circuit 
(in  the  bounds  of  which  I  was  born,  educated  and  raised, 
till  about  seventeen  years  of  age)  to  travel  with  a  worthy 
and  an  affectionate  brother,  by  the  name  of  Nicholas  Willis. 
I  set  out  for  my  circuit  in  1809,  with  a  heavy  heart,  at  hav- 
ing to  leave  behind  me  my  friends,  and  especially  my  dear 
little  daughter.  I  then  felt  as  though  I  had  lost  all  ;  and 
there  were  not  many  moments  that  day,  that  the  tears  did 
run  down  my  cheeks.  And  what  added  greatly  to  my  af- 
fliction was,  the  idea  of  having  to  go  in  my  ignorance  and 
weakness,  to  preach  to  my  old  schoolmates,  and  my  father 
and  mother's  old  neighbors  and  class-mates,  and  yet  above 
all,  many  of  my  relations.  This  was  almost  more  than  I  could 
bear;  but  I  went  on  and  when  I  arrived  in  the  city  of  Anna- 
polis, my  old  friends,  and  especially  George  Walls  a  local 
preacher,  gave  me  great  encouragement.  While  my  own 
heart  was  trembling  with  fear,  they  appeared  to  possess  all 
confidence  in  my  success ;  and  when  I  left  them  to  pursue 
my  journey,  their  warm  and  encouraging  words  and  prayers, 
appeared  to  lift  me  up,  and  sustain  me  for  the  mighty  con- 
flict. And  who  can  tell  the  conflict  of  one,  entering  upon 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  with  a  just  view  of  its  dread  res- 
ponsibility ? 

When  I  arrived  in  the  circuit,  I  found  every  thing  encour- 
aging, and  calculated  to  make  me  happy.  My  colleague 
was  a  man  of  sense,  kind  and  affable ;  and  every  where, 
not  only  the  doors,  but  the  hearts  of  the  people,  appeared 
to  be  open  to  receive  me;  and  the  best  of  all,  God  appear- 
ed to  be  with  us  every  where,  so  that  our  meetings  were 
warm  and  lively.  And  it  v/as  not  long  till  he  graciously 
revived  his  own  blessed  work,  at  many  of  our  preaching  pla- 
38 


298  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

ces.  Many  were  the  interesting  incidenets  that  occurred 
through  the  year.  Sometimes  the  people  under  conviction 
for  sin,  would  fall  from  their  seats  under  the  word,  like 
men  slain  in  battle  ;  sometimes,  such  was  the  mighty  pow- 
er of  God  in  our  midst,  in  the  conversions,  as  well  as  the 
awakening  of  precious  souls,  that  we  could  not  preach  at 
all.  Indeed,  there  was  no  need  of  preaching  at  such  sea- 
sons ;  for  the  Lord  had  taken  the  matter  into  his  own 
hands.  And  oh  ;  how  precious  such  seasons  were  !  But, 
although  it  is  not  my  design  (neither  could  I  as  1  have  kept 
no  regular  journal  of  my  travels)  to  detail  every  important 
thing  that  passed,  yet  I  will  mention  one,  that  1  think  wor- 
thy of  special  notice ;  inasmuch  as  it  manifested  particu- 
larly, the  mighty  power  and  goodness  of  God.  Capt.  Skin- 
ner, (who  was  said  to  be  sceptical  in  his  views)  with  his 
large  and  amiable  family,  was  induced,  by  some  means,  to 
attend  our  meetings.  The  word  of  God  found  its  way  to 
their  hearts,  and  many  of  them  found  peace,  and  joined  the 
church  of  God;  while  the  Capt.  then  well  advanced  in 
years,  was  thoroughly  convinced  of  sin,  and  set  out  to  seek 
the  Lord  in  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  I  never  shall  forget 
the  time  he  sent  for  me,  to  inquire  of  me,  what  he  must 
do  to  be  saved.  He  was  very  large,  and  looked  down  up- 
on me,  with  the  big  tear  standing  in  his  eye  with  all  ear- 
nestness ;  and  with  the  simplicity  of  a  little  child  he  made 
his  state  and  requests  known  to  me,  who  was  but  an  infant 
myself  in  the  holy  ministry.  But  God  can  work  by  small, 
as  well  as  great  things  :  and  Such  was  his  infinite  goodness 
to  him  that  year,  that  on  his  death  bed  he  professed  hope  in 
God  through  the  great  Redeemer.  This  was  truly  a  won- 
der of  mercy;  for  he  had  been  not  only  sceptical,  so  far  as  I 
could  learn  for  the  most  of  his  past  life,  but  because  he  was 
wealthy  and  honorable  amongst  men;  which  is  always  a 
dangerous  condition  in  life.      But  God  in  mercy  brought 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  299 

him  in  at  the  eleventh  hour;  and  the  members  of  his  kind 
family,  were  left  as  among  the  most  excellent  members  of 
the  church  of  God  in  that  day.  How  unsearchable  are  the 
mercy  and  goodness  of  God  !  Were  it  proper,  or  could  it 
be  well  done,  I  should  be  glad  to  mention  all  the  kind  fam- 
ilies on  Calvert  circuit  in  which  we  had  our  homes;  for  truly 
they  were  all  kind.  But  our  time  and  design  to  be  concise 
forbid  it.  May  the  Lord  bless  them  and  their  children  af- 
ter them,  to  the  latest  generation.  We,  that  year,  received 
upwards  of  300  into  the  churchy  and  left  all  apparently  in  a 
prosperous  and  happy  condition. 

In  March,  1810,  for  the  first  time,  I  attended  a  conference 
of  Methodist  preachers,  in  the  city  of  Baltimore;  and  were 
1  to  try,  I  could  not  describe  the  awe  and  veneration  I  felt, 
at  beholding  such  a  large  and  venerable  body  of  men  ;  and 
was  amazed  to  think  that  they  could  take  me  by  the  hand 
as  a  fellow-laborer.  But  I  soon  found  these  men  of  God  so 
frank,  kind,  and  affectionate,  that  I  could  but  esteem  them 
as  among  my  best  friends  on  earth.  I  was  appointed  to 
travel  Stafford  circuit,  in  the  State  of  Virginia ;  with  Caleb 
Reynolds,  for  a  part  of  the  time,  as  my  colleague.  Here, 
also,  I  met  with  kind  and  affectionate  friends;  but  we  found 
the  circuit  in  a  low  and  poor  condition  ;  which,  for  awhile, 
was  very  discouraging.  However,  we  went  on  in  the 
strength  of  Israel's  God  ;  and  the  Lord  did  not  let  us  go  a 
warfare  at  our  own  expense.  For,  in  a  few  months,  a  cir- 
cumstance occurred,  that  gave  us  a  start  for  good.  A  Miss 
Helen  Maffit,  who,  on  a  visit  to  Baltimore,  had  professed  re- 
ligion, attended,  with  her  friends,  our  quarterly  meeting ; 
and  gave  us,  through  her  brother-in-law,  Aaron  Grigsby,  a 
warm  invitation  to  visit  her  mother's  house.  I  accepted  the 
invitation ;  and  found,  on  my  arrival,  a  large  number  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  who  had  been  invited  to  dine  with 
me.     1  soon  found,  that,  as  a  Methodist  Preacher,  I  was  as 


300  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

much  of  a  show,  as  if  I  had  been  some  wild  beast  of  ih^ 
forest ;  for  many  of  them  had  never  seen  one  before. 
Knowing  how  much  depended  on  the  impression  made  on 
this,  my  first  visit;  and  finding  that  some  appeared  to  be 
afraid  to  move  or  talk  freely,  lest  they  should  give  offence  to 
their  strange  guest — and  this  they  would  not  have  done,  by 
any  means,  for  they  were  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  first 
standing  in  the  country — I  tried  to  suit  myself  to  the  occa- 
sion as  well  as  possible,  yet  so  to  act  and  speak,  as  not  to 
lessen,  in  any  degree,  in  their  estimation,  the  dignity  of  that 
holy  religion  I  professed;  and,  in  a  little  time,  it  had  the 
most  happy  effect.  One  man  ran  to  me,  and  laid  hold  of 
me  with  both  hands,  and  said,  apparently  with  much  de- 
light, *'Sir,  you  are  the  strangest  man  I  ever  saw  in  my  life." 
I  asked  why  he  thought  so?  "  Why,"  said  he,  "  I  thought  a 
Methodist  preacher  was  such  a  cross,  morose,  kind  of  a  be- 
ing, that  one  scarcely  dare  to  smile  or  speak  in  his  presence, 
without  getting  reproved.  But,"  said  he,  "  you  are  not  so." 
And,  no  doubt,  such  had  been  the  impression  of  many 
others  present ;  and  all,  from  a  want  of  an  acquaintance 
with  Methodists  and  Methodist  preachers.  I  assured  him  I 
did  not  think  any  thing  of  the  kind  should  belong  to  any 
Christian  man,  much  less  to  a  preacher  of  the  peaceful 
Gospel  of  Christ.  From  that  time,  all  seemed  to  be  ease 
and  affability  ;  and  I  received  an  invitation  to  preach  in  the 
neighborhood,  at  Mr.  Aaron  Grigsby's.  And  it  appeared 
they  needed  it ;  as  they  had  been  so  long  deserted  by  every 
branch  of  the  Church,  that  an  aged  lady  informed  me,  she 
had  not  heard  a  sermon  for  eighteen  years.  I  accepted  the 
invitation,  and  went  at  the  time  appointed,  with  great  soli- 
citude for  success  on  Israel's  side.  There  was  a  great 
crowd,  to  hear,  for  the  first  time,  one  who  was  called  a 
Methodist  preacher ;  and  the  best  of  all,  the  Lord  in  mercy- 
came  to  give  his  word  success ;  for  the  consequence  was, 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  301 

that  in  a  little  time,  a  class,  consisting  of  about  forty  mem- 
bers, was  raised  up  among,  and  out  of,  that  rich,  and  hitherto 
gay  and  thoughtless  people  ;  and  they  became,  not  only 
deeply  pious,  but  among  the  most  pleasant  and  comfortable 
Christians  I  ever  saw. 

It  would  take  me  long  to  detail  all  the  striking  instan- 
ces of  God's  goodness  and  power,  manifested  through  the 
remainder  of  the  year ;  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  became 
very  general  throughout  the  circuit.  It  must  suffice  to  men- 
tion only  one  more,  that  occurred  in  Mr.  Wormley  Carter's 
family.  Mrs.  Carter  had  long  been  confined  to  her  room 
by  affliction  ;  and  like  the  rest  of  the  rich  and  great  around 
her,  she  knew  little  about  the  Methodists ;  and  from  what 
had  been  heard,  no  doubt,  cared  less.  But  the  children  were 
induced  by  some  means,  to  come  and  hear  for  themselves  ; 
and  one  day  after  divine  service  they  invited  me  to  go  home 
with  them,  to  see  their  sick  mother.  I  accordingly  went, 
and  this  led  to  a  still  more  pressing  invitation  to  come,  the 
next  time  I  came  round ;  which— as  I  had  seen  so  much 
good  in  attending  to  such  invitations — gave  me  great  hope, 
and  I  readily  accepted  it. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  night  of  my  second  visit  to  Mr, 
Carter's  family.  The  family  itself  was  large  ;  a  number  of 
sons  and  daughters  grown,  and  beside  these  many  relations 
had  gathered  in  to  meet  me;  so  that  the  company  was  very 
large  for  a  private  one.  It  appeared  to  me  at  first,  to  be 
unfortunate  that  I  was  hoarse,  and  so  worn  out  with  con- 
stant labour,  that  I  could  hardly  say,  or  do  any  thing  more. 
But  no  doubt  it  was  best,  both  for  them  and  me  also,  as  it 
turned  out  in  the  sequel.  The  hour  came  for  family  devo- 
tion, and  we  all  bowed  around  the  family  altar.  It  appear- 
ed to  me  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  I  could  lift 
my  voice  in  prayer  so  as  to  be  heard;  and  understood.  But 
while  I   was  trying  to  do  so,  some  began  to  weep  aloud, 


302  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

and  when  we  rose  up,  they  fell  into  each  other's  arms,  and 
the  cry  became  more  and  more  general.  I  thought,  at  first, 
that  it  was  only  a  momentary  sympathy,  that  would  soon 
subside ;  and  if  I  prayed  again,  by  the  time,  I  was  done,  all 
would  be  over.  But  in  this  I  was  mistaken  ;  for  when  we 
rose  from  our  knees,  there  appeared  to  be  one  general  cry 
for  mercy;  the  old  gentleman  excepted,  who  went  in  the 
midst  of  them,  and  with  the  deepest  concern  said,  Oh,  chil- 
dren, children,  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  I  became 
alarmed,  as  I  was  a  stranger,  and  they  all  strangers  to  Meth- 
odism, and  went  to  him  and  said.  Sir,  the  Lord  has  come 
to  bless  your  children,  and  all  will  be  well.  To  my  great 
relief  he  appeared  to  be  satisfied,  and  took  his  seat ;  but, 
another  difficulty  succeeded,  that  alarmed  me  more  than  alL 
Mrs.  Carter,  who  had  been  confined  so  long,  came  down  to 
the  stair  door,  lifted  up  both  hands  apparently  in  great 
alarm,  and  said  as  the  old  man  had  done,  Oh,  children, 
children,  what  is  the  matter  ?  I  ran  to  her,  and  happily 
succeeded  in  allaying  her  fears,  and  she  retired  to  her  room* 
The  children  appeared  not  to  hear,  or  notice  any  thing ; 
but  to  cry  on  for  mercy.  I  then  spent  all  the  remaining 
strength  I  had  in  labouring  with  them,  and  about  midnight, 
we  retired  to  bed.  But  I  had  not  long  been  there,  before 
the  young  man  that  had  lain  down  with  me,  made  the  bed 
so  to  tremble  with  the  smothered  agony  of  his  soul,  that  I 
had  to  rise  again  and  pray  with  him  ;  and  it  was  therefore 
very  late  when  I  got  to  rest.  As  far  as  I  could  learn  afterward* 
seven  precious  souls  obtained  the  pearl  of  great  price  that 
night.  The  consequence  was,  a  large  number  of  the  fam. 
ily  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  became 
among  the  most  plain,  simple  hearted,  and  excellent  chris- 
tians. 

It  is  true,  they  did  not  take  off  all  their  jewelry  at  first; 
which  gave  me  some  uneasiness  for  awhile,  lest  their  exam- 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  303 

pie,  as  people  of  high  standing  in  the  community,  might  do 
harm.  But,  after  awhile,  when  my  time  had  come  to  leave 
them  for  the  present,  and  while  they  were  all  around  me, 
by  their  own  fire-side,  I  took  the  opportunity  to  speak  to 
them  on  the  subject.  It  was  truly  delightful  to  see  what  a 
teachable  and  submissive  spirit  they  possessed.  I  had 
scarcely  commenced,  before  they  understood  my  intention. 
The  tears  began  to  flow  freely;  and  presently  one  said, 
"  Brother,  here  is  a  ring  my  dying  mother  gave  me  to  wear 
as  a  remembrance  ;"  another  said,  "  Here  is  a  precious 
relic  ;'*  and  thus  they  went  on,  by  way  of  apology  for  hav- 
ing retained  them  as  long  as  they  had.  But,  said  they,  we 
will  lay  them  by,  in  our  trunks,  and  keep  them  sacredly 
there  ;  and,  in  a  few  moments,  not  one  piece  of  jewelry 
could  be  seen  on  any  one  of  them.  My  heart  was  delighted 
with  this  victory ;  and  I  left  them  in  a  little  time  ;  not 
knowing  that  I  ever  should  see  them  again  in  this  world; 
but  with  a  glowing  hope  of  meeting  them  in  a  higher  and 
better  one  ;  where  parting  would  be  no  more. 

Besides  these,  many  precious  souls  had  been  brought 
home  to  God,  during  the  year,  who  promised  fair  to  be  faith- 
ful to  the  grace  they  had  received ;  and  the  whole  circuit, 
in  some  good  degree,  appeared  to  partake  of  the  spirit  of 
revival  that  had  gone  forth.  By  some  means,  my  worthy 
brother  Reynolds  had  left  the  circuit,  about  the  middle  of 
the  year,  and  Edward  Matthews  succeeded  him  ;  and  after 
closing  our  year  as  well  as  we  could,  we  repaired  to  meet 
our  beloved  brethren  in  conference  once  more. 

This  conference  was  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  to 
me ;  for,  if  found  acceptable,  I  was  to  be  received  into  full 
connection,  and  elected  to  deacon's  orders.  But,  through 
the  kindness  of  my  brethren  and  the  blessing  of  God,  all 
went  well.  1  was  received  and  elected  ;  and,  to  my  great 
gratification,  I  was  ordained  deacon  by  the  venerable  and 


3{)4  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

beloved  Bishop  Asbury,  on  the  22d  day  of  March,  1811. 
When  I  first  saw  Bishop  Asbury,  he  looked  to  be  so  old  and 
frail,  I  was  afraid  he  would  die  before  I  could  have  an  op- 
portunity of  being  ordained  by  him  ;  and  I  felt  a  particular 
anxiety  that  he  should  perform  that  office  ;  not  that  I  con- 
cluded his  hands  could  convey  any  thing  more  than  the 
hands  of  another  good  Bishop,  But  he  was  our  eldest  : 
and  I  felt  a  special  veneration  for  him,  and  thought  I  should 
ever  esteem  it  an  honor  to  have  it  to  say.  Bishop  Asbury 
ordained  me  ;  and  I  was  gratified  in  this  respect. 

But  now  came  on  me  one  of  the  greatest  trials  I  ever 
had  to  endure.  My  beloved  Presiding  Elder,  Hamilton  Jef- 
ferson, soon  let  me  know  I  had  to  go  back  to  Stafford  cir- 
cuit. It  is  true  I  loved  those  whom  I  had  left  behind  ;  and 
I  knew  they  were  my  hearty  friends,  and  that  it  was  at  their 
request  I  was  appointed  to  go  back.  But  I  did  not  want  to 
go,  I  feared  to  go.  I  was  young  in  the  ministry,  and  I  great- 
ly feared,  and  I  thought  justly  too,  that  I  could  not  serve 
them  again  another  whole  year,  with  the  same  success  I  had 
experienced  at  first;  and  consequently,  the  work  would  go 
down  in  my  hands.  I  wept,  and  pleaded,  but  all  was  in  vain ; 
I  had  to  go  back.  And  what  made  it  still  worse ;  I  was 
sent  back  alone,  so  far  as  human  aid  was  concerned.  But 
I  was  not  alone,  for  the  Lord  went  with  me,  and  my  sec- 
ond year  was  better  than  the  first.  A  great  number  of  pre- 
cious souls,  was  brought  home  to  God;  and  what  was  very 
remarkable,  they  were  mostly  of  the  best  citizens  of  the 
country,  in  a  civil  point  of  view. 

Some  very  remarkable  circumstances  occurred  this  year 
also.  One  night,  after  retiring  to  bed,  Mr.  John  Moffit,  at 
whose  house  we  were  staying,  became  greatly  concerned 
about  his  immortal  soul ;  and  so  great  was  his  distress, 
he  could  not  continue  in  bed.  Brother  Jonathan  Harry, 
who.  was  at  that  time   with  me,  was  called  up,  and  on  om 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  305 

going  to  his  bed  room,  we  found  him  on  his  knees,  wrest- 
ling with  God.  We  joined  him  in  prayer,  and  continued 
to  labour  with  him  to  a  very  late  hour  before  he  obtained 
the  blessing.  It  was  a  mighty  struggle  indeed  ;  but  it  ap- 
peared to  be  with  him  victory  or  death.  And,  through  the 
divine  mercy  he  obtained  the  victory. 

I  had  taken  into  the  church  at  sometimes  previous,  Thom- 
as Thornton,  son  of  Dr.  Thornton  of  Dumfruse,  who  became 
exercised   about  preaching,  and  came  to  me,    for   the  pur- 
pose of  going  with  me  around  the  circuit.     He  was  very 
young, — I  think  about  eighteen — and  I  thought  1  would  grat- 
ify him;  but  that  he   would  be  satisfied  and  go  home  in  a 
little  time.     The  first  appointment  was  at  an  old  forsaken 
Episcopal  Church,  called,  if  I  mistake  not,Acquire  Church; 
the  pulpit  of  which  was  high,  and  so  broken  off  from  the 
walls,  that  it  projected  considerably  out.     We  had  a  few 
present,   as   it  was   a  week  day  appointment;  and  here  I 
thought  I  would  give  Thomas  a  trial.     After  I  had  preach- 
ed, I  put  him  up  to  exhort;   and  before  he  was  done,  my 
mind  was  altogether  changed  concerning  him.     I  conclud- 
ed the  Lord  had  something  for  him  to  do;  which  has  been 
proved  by  the  sequel,  to  have  been  correct.     He  went  on 
with  me,   until  we  arrived  at  the  house  of  one  of  the  best 
and  kindest  fi lends  I  ever  found  in  all  my  travels,  sister  Al- 
exander.     I  was  there  taken  very  ill,  and  was  expected  to 
die.    My  much  beloved  sister  sent  to  Fredericksburg  for  a 
physician;  and  I  sent  Thomas  to  his  father,  who  was  to 
meet  us  by  previous  arrangement,  at  the  church,  where  he 
had  first  exhorted,  with  a  request,  that  he  should  immedi- 
ately come  to  me  ;  and  with  instructions  to  go  on  and  meet 
my    appointments,   do  the   most  he  could,  and  give  out 
for  my  colleague  ;    for  I  think   by  this  time  I  had  one. 
He  did  so,  and,  as  I   was  informed,  preached   at   almost 
every  place,  until  we  met  again.     His  kind  father  came 
39 


306  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

to  me,  and  staid  with  me  a  whole  week,  for  he  found  me 
.dangerously  ill.      Previous  to  the  Doctor's  coming,   and 
supposing  I  was  likely  to   die,    I  tried  to  know,    by*  look- 
ing back  upon  my  past    life,  and  by  looking  within   my 
own  heart,  as  well  as  I  could,    whether  I  was   ready  to 
meet  my  righteous  judge.     I  never  shall  forget  that  hour; 
for,  although  I  had  honestly  tried  to  serve  my  God,  and  do 
good  to  mankind,  I  had  no  foundation  in,  and  of,  myself, 
for  any  well  grounded  hope  of  eternal  life.     All  appeared 
to  be  poverty   and  imperfectioQ  ;    and  a  degree  of  doubt 
and  distress  for  awhile,  covered  my  mind.     Indeed  I  felt, 
after  all  I  had  done,  unworthy  of  the  least  of  God's  mercies. 
But  it  was  not  long,  until    I  was  enabled  to  look  to  the 
strong   for   strength ;  and  I  did   not   look   in   vain.    In  a 
moment,  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord,  ap- 
peared to  me,  as  a  place  of  broad  waters  ;  and  I  felt  as  if 
I  was  in  the  middle  of  that  ocean  of  mercy,  without  bot- 
tom or  shore,  and  all  was  well.     I    had   no  more  doubt  or 
difficulty,  during  rny  affliction.    The  kindness  of  my  belov- 
ed brother,Dr.  Thornton,  now,  I  hope, in  heaven,  was  enough 
to  endear  him  forever  to  my  heart.      And  the  long,  kind, 
and  affectionate  attention  of  my  much  beloved  sister  Alex- 
ander— whose  name  is  dear  to  all  the  preachers  who  know 
her,  and  who  I  trust  has  long  since  entered  into  the  joy  of 
her  Lord — is  fresh,  with  gratitude,  in  my  memory,  and  nev- 
er will  be  removed  from  my  heart.    Through  the  skill  of  my 
physician,  and  the  kind  attention  of  my  friends,  with  the 
blessing  of  God  my  Redeemer,  I  was  raised  up  again,  in 
about  five  or  six  weeks  ;  when  I  again  entered  upon  my 
work,  and  the  blessing  of  God  still  went  with  me. 

I  think  it  was  in  this  year,  that  we  had  a  gracious 
revival  at  a  place  called  Haymarket,  where  the  people 
had  been  very  wicked,  and  consequently,  religion  much 
IjegJected.     Theie  were  several  remarkable  circumstances 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  307 

fe'onsequent  on  the  out-pouring  of  God's  holy  spirit,  in  this 
place.  Although  the  taverns  had  been  the  resort  of  the 
drunkard,  and  the  place  where  even  the  better  part  of  the 
citizens  met  for  mirth  and  merriment ;  they  were  all 
turned  into  places  of  divine  worship.      On  one  occasion, 

while  preaching   in  one  of   them,    Dr. received  the 

impression,  according  to  his  own  statement,  that  led  him 
to  make  up  his  mind  to  set  out  in  earnest  to  seek  the  Lord, 
When  enforcing  the  doctrines  of  my  sermon,  and  earnestly 
exhorting  the  congregation  to  begin  immediately  to  seek 
salvation,  I  remarked,  they  could  do  it  without  being  ex- 
posed to  human  view  by  taking  the  advice  of  the  Saviour, 
who  had  said,  '*  when  you  pray,  enter  into  your  closet," 
&c.,  and  added,  if  they  would  do  so,  two  or  three  times 
a  day,  for  four  weeks — which  would  be  the  time  of  my 
appointment  again — my  soul  for  theirs,  God  would  bless 
them  in  their  deed  ;  and  if  they  had  not  received  pardon- 
ing mercy,  they  would  not  wish  to  quit  praying.  He  said 
it  was  the  strong  and  bold  expression,  my  soul  for  yours, 
that  struck  him  with  such  force  that  he  made  up  his  mind 
forthwith  to  try  at  least  for  the  four  weeks  ;  and  when  I 
came  around  again,  IJiad  the  happiness  to  learn,  that  he 
and  his  wife  also,  had  obtained  pardoning  merc^.  And  it 
was  not  long  till  I  received  them  into  the  church. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year,  my  good  and  much  be- 
loved brother,  Jonathan  Harvey,  who  lived  in  Winchester, 
and  was  an  acceptable  exhorter,  came  to  aid  me,  as  my 
vi^ork  had  greatly  increased,  and  I  was  much  worn  down,  by 
incessant  labor.  He  was  of  great  use,  indeed.  He  went 
with  me,  not  only  to  brother  Moffit's,  as  already  stated,  but  to 
many  places  on  the  circuit ;  and  among  them,  he  was  with 
me  at'^my  good  friend  W.  Carter's,  where  we  witnessed  a 
very  peculiar  circumstance.  Mrs.  Carter  was  still  confined 
to  her  bed ;  and  although,  so  far  as  we  could  learn,  n^t 


308  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

worse  than  she  had  frequently  been,  about  eight  or  nine 
o'clock  at  night,  as  near  as  I  can  recollect,  the  alarm  was 
given  that  she  was  dying.  VVe  were,  of  course,  invited 
into  her  room ;  where  we  found  her  in  spasms,  and,  for  some 
time,  unable  to  speak.  As  soon  as  she  could,  she  fixed  her 
eyes  upon  me,  and  said,  with  much  earnestness,  "Piay  for 
me.'*  We  accordingly  went  to  prayer ;  but,  as  soon  as  it 
was  over,  she  had  another  spasm;  and  then  Jonathan  and 
others,  prayed.  We  sang  and  prayed  by  turns,  until  about 
two  o'clock,  when  she  became  perfectly  relieved,  and  fell 
into  a  sweet  sleep.  It  was  very  remarkable,  that,  while  we 
sang  and  prayed,  she  was  quiet;  but,  if  we  would  stop  but 
for  a  few  minutes,  she  would  fall  into  spasms  again.  Hence, 
we  found  it  necessary  to  keep  up  our  devotions,  until  God 
in  mercy  sent  deliverance. 

But  here  I  must  bid  farewell  to  my  kind  Stafford  friends 
once  more  ;  without  being  able  to  mention  many  precious 
names,  with  many  pleasing  circumstances,  to  which  I  might 
advert  with  great  propriety.  I  ihink  of  many,  my  heart  is 
still  warm  with  gratitude  and  love  to  them.  And  may  God 
bless  them  all,  henceforth  and  forevermore  ;  amen. 

In  1812,  our  Conference  sat  in  Leesburg,  Virginia ;  and, 
at  the  close,  I  found  that,  instead,  (as  I  had  expected  and 
wished,)  of  being  sent  to  the  mountains,  or  the  Methodist 
College,  as  they  were  called,  I  was  left  in  Fairfax  circuit — 
of  which  Leesburg  was  then  a  part — and  a  brother  from  a 
distant  part  of  the  country  was  sent  to  labor  with  me.  But, 
after  about  six  months,  although  he  appeared  to  be  a  good 
man,  he  was  dismissed — because  of  his  want  of  talent — 
from  the  circuit,  by  the  Presiding  Elder,  through  the  request 
of  the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference,  This  was  truly  a 
mortifying  circumstance ;  but,  inasmuch,  as  I  had  never 
heard  him,  and  consequently  had  no  part  or  lot  in  the  mat- 
ter, I  could  bear  it,  and  get  along  better  than  if  any  thing 


AUTHOR^S    LIFE  309 

that  I  could  have  said  had  been  used  against  him.  I  found 
on  this  circuit,  many  kind  friends  and  warm-hearted  chris- 
tians ;  but  religion  was  not,  at  first,  as  flourishing  as  we 
could  have  wished.  But,  before  the  year  was  out,  we  had 
many  encouraging  and  gracious  seasons,  and  some  precious 
souls  were  brought  home  to  God, 

Here  I  found  the  venerable  William  Waters,  the  first 
American  travelling  preacher,  with  his  head  almost  as 
white  as  wool.  And,  before  him  1  had  to  preach  about 
twice  or  three  times,  every  four  weeks ;  and  what  op- 
pressed and  afflicted  me  most,  was,  that  I  had  to  lead  him 
in  class.  After  some  time,  discovering  my  embarrassment, 
he  talked  to  me  about  it,  and  said,  You  must  not  be,  or  do, 
so.  I  never  shall  forget  the  answer  I  gave  him.  I  told  him 
he  might  talk  as  he  pleased,  but  it  was  utterly  impossible 
for  me  to  look  at  his  gray  head,  and  feel  otherwise  than  I 
did  ;  so  he  turned  away,  and  said  no  more  to  me  about  the 
matter.  I  never  heard  him  laugh,  and  seldom  ever  saw  him 
smile;  and  thought  I  had  hardly  ever  seen,  in  all  my  life,  a 
more  venerable  looking  man.  His  preaching  was  plain,  but 
sound  and  strong;  and  notwithstanding  he  had  lived  many 
years  in  the  place  where  I  found  him,  and  had  preached 
much  at  home,  and  in  the  surrounding  cities — Washington, 
Georgetown,  and  Alexandria — no  man  was  more  acceptable 
in  the  pulpit  than  he  was ;  or  could  command,  at  all  times, 
larger  congregations. 

Here,  also,  1  found  the  Rev.  John  Littlejohn,  who  was 
also  one  of  the  early  preachers  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church ;  a  man  of  superior  talents,  and  greatly  beloved. 
And,  moreover,  the  Rev.  John  Childs,  who  had,  also,  trav- 
elled and  preached  acceptably,  when  young,  and  when  the 
church  was  in  its  infancy  ;  and  who,  in  his  last  few  years, 
joined  the  conference  again,  and  finished  his  days  as  an 
itinerant  minister.    It  was  truly  encouraging  to  see  these 


310  A  SKETCH  OF  THE. 

fathers  in  the  gospel,  who  had  long  borne  the  heat  and  b'lir-' 
den  of  the  day,  still  zealous  in  the  cause  of  their  Master ; 
while  they  were  ready,  at  all  times,  and  in  every  possible 
way,  to  take  the  young  preachers  by  the  hand,  and  encour- 
age them  to  press  on,  in  their  great  and  arduous  underta- 
king. But  they  have  all,  long  since,  bee^  taken  from  their 
labors  to  their  reward  in  heaven. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  this  conference  year,  and  in  this' 
circuit,  that  I  married  my  second  wife,  Eliza  Alexander 
Laura  Adams,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Wesley  Adams,  of 
Fairfax  county,  Va.  We  were  married  the  11th  day  of 
March,  1813,  by  the  Rev.  William  Waters.  Her  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Alexander  Binns,  had 
died  in  child-bed,  and  left  her,  an  infant ;  and  consequently, 
as  she  was  the  first-born,  and  only  one  left  by  her  mother, 
she  was  a  great  favorite  with  her  father,  and  her  worthy  and 
much  beloved  uncle,  Charles  Binns  ;  who  was  trustee  and 
guardian  of  the  estate  left  her  by  her  grandfather;  which 
was  the  portion  that  would  have  been  her  mother's,  had 
she  lived.  I  had  determined  to  travel  four  years,  or  to  the 
close  of  my  longest  probation,  at  least,  before  manying 
again.  I  thought  this  was  due  to  myself  and  to  the  Church, 
which  had  so  kindly  taken  me  by  the  hand,  and  borne  with 
my  weakness.  We  were  married  just  at  the  close  of  the 
conference  year,  that  I  might  appear  in  Conference  in  the 
relation  that  I  should  have  to  sustain  the  ensuing  year  One 
circumstance  has  ever  given  me  pleasure,  in  reflecting  upon 
this  great  transaction  of  my  life,  i.  e.,  we  were  married  with 
the  free  and  hearty  consent  of  all  that  were  immediately- 
concerned.  And  I  'have  never  had  reason  to  repent  of  my 
choice  ;  for  truly  I  can  say,  she  has  been  a  help-meet  for 
me.  We  have  been  in  many  circuits,  stations,  and  districts, 
together ;  for  we  have  remained  in  the  itinerant  connection 
to  this  day,  by  the  blessing  and  help  of  God.     But,  in  all 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  311 

our  travels,  privations,  and  difficulties,  I  have  never  heard 
one  murmuring  or  discouraging  word  from  her ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  every  thing  said  and  done  to  encourage  me  to 
press  on,  and  to  make  fall  proof  of  my  ministry.  Indeed, 
she  never  would  hear  of  anything  else,  to  this  day.  And 
such  has  been  her  life  and  conversation,  wherever  we  have 
been  stationed,  that  I  have  not  only  found  her  beloved,  but 
I  have  thought,  frequently,  much  more  popular,  in  her 
sphere,  than  I  was  in  mine.  Truly  I  can  say,  I  have  been 
among  the  most  fortunate  men,  in  this  respect,  through  the 
blessing  of  Almighty  God.  And,  as  I  had  many  friends, 
some  gracious  seasons  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  with  some  ingathering  of  souls  to  the  fold  of 
Christ;  and  was  so  fortunate  as  to  marry  so  happily,  in 
Fairfax,  it  might  be  expected  that  old  Fairfax  circuit  was 
still  very  dear  to  my  heart. 

In  a  few  days  after  we  were  married,  I  left  for  our 
Annual  Conference,  that  met  March  1813,  in  the  City  of 
Baltimore.  I  was  then  sent  to  labour  for  the  ensuing  year 
in  the  city  of  Alexandria.  This  was  truly  a  trying  circum. 
stance.  The  church,  in  that  fine  city,  was  large  and  made 
up  of  many  of  the  most  respectable,  wealthy,  and  talented 
men,  of  the  place.  The  house  in  which  w^e  met  was  well 
finished,  and  would  hold  about  fifteen  hundred  or  two 
thousand  persons.  But  above  all,  I  had  to  succeed  one  of 
the  most  talented,  and  eloquent  ministers  that  belonged  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  It  was  indeed,  as  much 
as  I  could  endure,  to  stand  in  that  sacred  place,  so  recently 
occupied  by  him,  and  to  minister  to  the  enlightened  people 
that  had  so  frequently  heard  his  voice.  Often  have  I  thought 
when  I  would  rise  up  to  commence  divine  service,  the  peo- 
ple will  soon  see  this  is  not  the  great ;  and  no  one  could 

imagine  how  T  trembled  and  suffered  in  my  soul.     But  it 
was  good  for  me,  that  I  had  to  serve  an  enlightened  and  re- 


312  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

ligious  people  ;  for  they  not  only  bore  with  me,  but  did  ev- 
ery thing  they  could  to  sustain,  and  bear  me  up.  And  the 
Lord  well  paid  them  for  it,  before  the  year  was  out,  by  show- 
ing them,  that  he  could  use  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to 
confound  the  mighty.  To  my  astonishment,  although  I 
preached  for  the  most  part  in  a  rough  and  pointed  manner, 
against  sin,  my  congregations  increased,  and  it  was  evident 
there  was  an  increasing  interest  felt  in  our  meetings  ;  and 
after  about  six  months'  labour,  a  gracious  work  broke  out 
that  continued  to  the  very  last  sermon  I  preached,  before  I 
went  to  Conference. 

The  church  was  crowded  to  overflowing,  and  w^hen 
mourners  were  invited  to  the  altar,  they  immediately  press- 
ed in  crowds,  to  unite  with  God's  people  in  besieging  a 
blood  besprinkled  throne  of  grace,  in  behalf  of  their  immor- 
tal souls.  We  had  many  good  labourers  at  the  altar.  God 
heard  prayer;  and  a  goodly  number  was  brought  into  the 
marvellous  light  of  the  gospel,  and  taken  into  the  fold  of 
Christ.  So  I  may  say  of  a  truth,  the  Lord  was  better  to  me 
than  all  my  fears. 

'  It  was  in  this  city  lived  one  of  the  most  remarkable  col- 
oured men  that  I  ever  saw.  His  name  was  Cato;  and  he 
was  remarkable  for  good  sense,  but  especially  for  piety. 
Such  indeed,  appeared  to  be  the  holy  flame  of  love  and  zeal 
for  God,  that  burned  in  his  soul,  that  it  would  sometimes 
break  forth  with  a  loud  amen  while  his  minister  was  dis- 
pensing the  word  of  life ;  which  circumstance,  originated 
the  saying  that  has  spread  far  and  wide — Amen  at  a  venture. 
Dr.  Thomas  Sargent  was  stationed  in  the  city  at  that 
time,  and  although  he  loved  warm  meetings,  Cato's  loud 
amens  disturbed  him  ;  as  he  thought  they,  for  the  mo- 
ment, called  off  the  attention  of  the  congregation.  He 
therefore  determined  to  try,  to  cure  the  matter,  and  bring 
Cato  to  better  order.     For  this  purpose  he  got  together  the 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  3 13 

stewards  and  leaders  of  the  church,  before  whom  he  called 
€ato ;  not  to  tJ-y  him,  or  even  to  rebuke  him — for  all  res- 
pected  and  loved  him — -but  for  the  purpose  of  reasoning 
with  him,  and  peisuading  him  to  try  to  be  silent  during 
public  service.  Jacob  Hoffman,  who  was  Mayor  of  the 
City  as  well  as  Cato's  class  leader,  told  me,  the  preacher 
began,  and  the  rest  followed,  in  their  turn,  and  laid  the  mat- 
ter  before  Cato  ;  and  in  a  kind  and  christian-like  manner, 
requested  him  to  refrain  from  his  old  practice.  While 
they  were  thus  pressing  the  matter,  Cato  stood  with  the 
tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks  ;  and  when  they  ceased, 
he  commenced  by  saying  in  his  broken  way  (for  he  was 
from  Africa, and  could  not  speak  plainly)  myBrother  preach- 
er, I  no  want  hurt  you;  my  Brother  class-leader  I  no  want 
hurt  you  ;  and  thus  he  went  round.  But  said  he,  when  the 
Lord  blesses  my  soul,  1  m.ust  praise  him  ;  and  his  soul 
seemed  to  get  so  fall  while  he  thus  spake,  with  tears  still 
streaming  down  his  face,  he  cried  out  Glory!  I  will  praise 
him.  Said  brother  Hoffman  after  relating  this.  Sir,  he  is 
the  greatest  orator  in  the  world;  he  made  us  all  cry  like 
children,  and  we  were  glad  to  let  him  alone.  But  Cato 
like  a  man  of  sense  and  religion,  tried  to  obey  the  request 
of  his  brethren,  who  had  the  rule  over  him  ;  and  hence,  he 
kept  silent,  until  sometime  after,  a  young  preacher  came 
along,  and  preached  for  brother  Sargent  a  very  warm  dis- 
course. It  was  more  than  Cato  could  stand;  and,  he  cried 
outfiom  the  gallery,  with  all  his  might,  amen  at  a  venture  ! 
In  this  he  was  well  nigh  out-doing  brother  Sargeant ;  for 
he,  knowing  the  circumstances  as  he  did,  was  in  dan- 
ger of  committing  himself  by  bursting  into  a  fit  of  laughter. 
But  after  all,  Cato  was  one  of  the  most  orderly  and  upright 
christians  ;  and  so  conducted  himself — although  he  some- 
times gave  vent  to  his  feelings  by  a  loud  amen — that  he  was 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  And  as  a  proof  of  his  high  and 
40 


314  A  SKETCH    OF   THE 

surprising  standing  in  the  city  where  he  lived,  it  is  said 
there  never  was  so  large  a  concourse  of  people  at  the  burial 
of  any  man  in  that  city,  as  there  was  at  his  burial.  This  [ 
could  not  have  believed,  had  it  not  been  from  respectable 
authority  ;  although  I  knew  Cato  was  much  beloved.  For 
when  I  was  stationed  there,  we  had  to  bury  some  officers 
of  the  army,  with  the  honofs  of  war;  at  which  time  there 
were  several  bands  of  music,  and  other  things  calcula- 
ted to  call  public  attention  ;  and  of  course,  there  would  be 
multitudes  of  people.  But  1  was  assured,  that  all  the  min- 
isters of  the  diffeient  congregations,  except  one;  the  rich  as 
well  as  the  poor,  and  some  of  all  denominations  of  chris- 
tians, white  and  coloured,  with  the  Mayor  of  the  city,  turn- 
ed out  to  bury  old  Cato  ;  and  that  there  was  a  larger  as- 
sembly, than  had  been  seen  together  on  any  former  occa- 
sion ;  and,  when  they  arrived  at  the  grave,  finding  some 
water  in  it,  and  the  spot  not  pleasing  them,  the  gentlemen 
of  the  city  with  the  Mayor  at  their  head,  assisted  in  dig, 
ging  a  new  grave  in  a  place  that  pleased  them  better.  He 
had  lived  amongst  them ;  nursed  them  when  the  yellow 
fever  raged  in  the  city  ;  and  he  had  so  let  his  light  shine 
a?  a  christian,  that  all  esteemed  him  as  a  man  of  God.  In 
his  death,  'he  was  enabled  to  give  ample  proof  of  his  true 
faith  and  christian  love;  and  this  confirmed  all  his  friends 
in  the  high  estimate  they  had  placed  upon  him.  1  have  of- 
ten thought,  that  in  his  case,  was  most  strikingly  fulfilled 
the  scripture  where  God  hath  said,  "Him  that  honoureth  me 
I  will  honour.'*  And  this  is  one  special  reason  why  I  men- 
tion his  case  as  I  have  done.  I  know  it  will  appear  a  little 
extraordinary  ;  but  there  are  many  living  witnesses  to  this 
day  of  the  facts  related  ;  and  1  have  received  them  from 
such  a  source  of  undoubted  veracity,  as  well  as  having  had 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  him  myself  for  twelve 
months,  that  I  believe  them  to  be  true.    And  the  whole 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  3l5 

tase  evidently  goes  to  show  the  truth  of  God's  word,  and 
the  glory  he  can  throw  around  the  humblest  individual,  that 
puts  his  trust  in  him. 

But  I  have  now^to  relate  if  possible,  a  more  extraordinary 
case  of  a  christian  minister,  who  died  in  the  city  of  Alex- 
andria, soon  after  I  was  stationed  there  ;  and  of  this  case  I 

was  eye  witness.     His   name  was Matthews.    He 

had  travelled  long  as  an  initisrant  preacher,  and  on  his  way 
that  spring  to  Conference,  he  was  taken  ill  and  stopped  at 
the  house  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  Robbins  in  that  city.  1  had  the 
opportunity  of  visiting  him  often  ;  and  frequently  6n  enter- 
ing his  room,  he  would  say,Brother,  I  feel  no  condemnation; 
or,Brother,  I  hope  to  die  soon  a  witness  of  that  holiness  you 
preach.  After  a  while  he  was  removed  to  the  house  of  a 
precious  pious  pair  of  old  christians,  by  the  name  of  Sloan: 
where  he  could  be  more  retired,  from  the  noise  of  children 
and  the  bustle  of  the  streets  than  he  could  be  at  Brother 
Robbins  ;  and  at  both  places  every  attention  was  paid  to 
him,  no  doubt,  that  was  necessary  for  his  comfort.  He  lin- 
gered long ;  and  one  day,  when  many  of  his  friends  were 
present,  he  began  in  his  solemn  way,  to  detail  what  he  said 
he  had  never  told  in  his  life  before,  as  he  could  not  think 
anyone  would  believe  him.  But  said  he,  I  am  now  a  dy- 
ing man  ;  I  know  I  must  soon  appear  before  my  God  ;  and 
it  cannot  be  believed,  I  would  voluntarily  die  with  a  lie  in 
my  mouth.  He  then  said,  at  a  certain  time  and  under  pe- 
culiar circumstances  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  appeared  to  him; 
and  turning  especially  to  Brother  Robbins  he  said,  Yes 
brother,  I  saw  him  with  my  bodily  eyes,  as  plain  as  I  see 
you  now.  It  has  been  so  long  since,  that  I  cannot  so  mi- 
nutely relate  the  circumstances  he  referred  to,  but  1  think 
they  were  the  following.  When  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  re- 
volutionary war,  he  became  deeply  convicted  for  sin.  He 
was  very  ignorant  of  what  he  should  do  to  be  saved,  an(i  had 


316  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

no  one  to  whom  he  could  go  for  advice;  hence,  in  his  eA' 
tremity,  he  concluded  he  would  retire  into  some  secret! 
place,  pour  out  his  complaint  to  God,  and  then  seek  for 
mercy.  And  while  upon  his  knees,  the  Lord  Jesus  appear- 
ed unto  him,  as  already  related,  to  the  deliverance  and  joy 
of  his  soul.  No  one  present  who  heard  him,  doubted  for  a 
moment,  that  he  fully  believed  that  it  was  true  as  he  stated- 
And  who  can  tell,  but  that,  it  was  literally  true  ?  Christ 
has  frequently  appeared  since  his  resurrection.  He  ap- 
peared  to  Saul  of  Tarsus,  and  why  not  to  — — —  Matthew^s  ? 
for  we  must  believe  that  he  can  appear  whenever  it  pleases 
him.  He  was  one  of  the  most  holy  and  devoted  men  I  ev- 
er knew;  and  such  was  the  confidence  of  all  the  preachers 
who  knew  him,  in  his  piety,  that  whenever  they  met  in  Con- 
ference, they  were  sure  to  get  him  to  preach  for  their  special 
benefit. 

But  the  time  had  come  in  the  order  of  God,  for  Matthews 
to  die  ;  and  I  have  often  been  thankful  to  Godthat  I  was 
permitted  to  witness  his  remarkable  death.  About  three 
weeks  after  his  departure,  he  made  a  promise  to  Brother 
Robbins,  that  if,  as  the  world  receded,  angels  appeared  ta 
him,  and  heaven  opened  to  his  view — as  it  did  to  Stephen 
in  his  death,  and  as  they  believed  it  to  be  with  every  dying 
christian — he  would,  if  possible,  give  him  a  sign.  Accor- 
dingly, while  about  thirty  of  us  were  standing  around  him, 
and  when  he  appeared  to  be  almost  gone,  Brother  Robbins 
stepped  to  his  bed  side,  and  with  a  loud  voice  said,  Broth- 
er Matthews,  give  us  the  sign.  Although  he  appeared  to  be 
so  far  gone,  that  Robbins  thought  it  was  necessary  to 
speak  loud  to  make  him  hear,  and  we  all  thought  he  never 
would  move  a  hand  again  ;  he  not  only  understood  what 
Robbins  meant,  but  immediately  began  to  raise  his  hands. 
And  although  they  went  up  slowly  and  with  trembling,  he 
succeeded  in  raising  them,  and  then  tried  to  speak,  but 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  31T 

could  not.  Nor,  indeed,  was  it  necessary  to  make  us  un- 
derstand what  was  meant ;  for  while  in  this  attitude,  try- 
ing to  tell  us,  not  that  he  was  happy — for  that  was  a  settled 
point — but  that  angels  had  come  for  him, and  that  heaven  and 
glory  opened  to  his  view  ;  a  strange  mellow  light  played  over 
his  face, which  appeared  to  shine  with  the  glory  and  presence 
of  God.  And  when  his  hands  went  down,  and  his  spirit 
had  fled  with  angels  to  the  bright  world  above,  the  glow  of 
light  continued  for  some  time  to  rest  upon  his  clay.  All 
in  the  house  saw  and  felt  that  God  was  there ;  and  there 
was  one  general  shout  of  glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  for 
the  wonders  of  redeeming  love,  that  we  had  just  witness- 
ed. And  for  my  own  part,  I  can  truly  say,  it  was  made  one 
of  the  greatest  blessings  to  my  soul,  It  appeared  to  me  I 
could  see  across  the  swelling  tide,  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
promised  land  ;  and  that  instead  of  its  being  hard  to  die, 
it  was  easy  and  pleasant ;  or  that  it  was  properly  represent- 
ed by  "the  sleep  in  Christ."  Oh,  blessed  sweet  sleep  of 
the  body,  while  the  happy  spirit  is  borne,  on  angels'  wings, 
to  the  Paradise  of  God.  And  although  few  christians 
have  been  enabled  to  express  themselves  as  — -^ —  Mat- 
thews did  ;  no  doubt  angels  wait  around  all,  and  their  hap- 
py spirits  are  assured  of  their  blissful  estate  in  the  paradise 
of  God  in  their  dying  moments.  Certainly  he  would  not 
do  more  for  one  who  had  not  repented  until  a  dying  hour 
(as  was  the  case  with  the  penitent  thief,)  than  he  would  do 
for  all  his  faithful  loving  children  ;  and  especially,  such  as 
had  long  put  their  trust  in  him. 

As  a  Methodist  preacher  appears  to  be  claimed  as  the 
servant  of  all,  and  especially  the  poor  and  distressed,  I  had 
to  pass  through,  not  only  many  pleasant  and  profitable  sea- 
sons, but  also  through  many  of  the  most  trying  and  afflictive 
ones.  Hence,  one  night,  when  the  snow  was  on  the  streets, 
and  the  wind  blowing  strong,  and  freezing  cold,  about  nine 


318  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

o'clock  i  was  called  to  visit  a  sick  and  dying  lady.  I  weiri 
into  her  room  ;  and  oh,  what  a  sight !  There  she  lay,  dy- 
ing, but  perfectly  in  her  senses,  upon  a  few  rags,  and  covered 
with  a  few  more.  Her  mother,  whose  head  was  white  with 
age,  was  sitting  in  one  corner,  with  a  new-born  infant, 
wrapt  in  some  thin,  tattered,  garments  ;  while  in  the  other 
corner,  sat,  shivering  in  the  cold,  a  dear  little  child,  perhaps 
three  or  four  years  old  ;  with  but  a  few  coals  of  fire  in  the 
hearth,  and  no  fuel  to  renew  them,  so  far  as  I  know.  After 
praying  with  the  sick  and  dying  one,  and  while  conversing 
with  her  about  her  state  of  mind,  which  afforded  me  the 
consolation  of  finding  that  she  was  resigned,  and  ready  to 
go,  iri  reeled  her  drunken  husband,  then  quite  drunk. 
This  revealed  the  secret  of  all  the  wretchedness  I  had  just 
seen.  Oh  how  dreadful  is  the  lot  of  the  poor  w^oman  who 
has  for  her  husband  a  man  who  is  ensnared  by  the  sin  of 
drunkenness  ! 

At  another  time,  1  was  called  to  witness  one  of  the  most 
horrid  deaths  I  ever  saw.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, while  many  in  the  city  were  out  on  a  muster,  I  was 
sent  for,  to  visit  a  dying  man.  I  found  him  delirious ,  and, 
on  account  of  the  muster,  there  was  not  a  man  in  the  house 
and  but  few  left  in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  He  was 
strong ;  and  consequently  his  poor  w4fe,  and  a  few  female, 
friends  that  were  with  him,  could  scarcely  keep  him  in  bed. 
As  soon  as  I  went  in,  he  knew  me,  although  partially  de- 
ranged, and  appeared  to  try  to  mind  me,  when  I  requested 
him  to  keep  the  covering  on  him,  and  to  lie  still.  My  pres- 
ence brought  to  his  remembrance  his  former  experience  ; 
and,  in  his  mental  wanderings,  he  would  frequently  say,  in 
broken  accents,  "If  they  did  turn  me  out,  they  need  not  al- 
ways ke^  me  out."  I  found  he  was  an  old  backslider,  and 
had  fallen  by  strong  drink  ;and  was  then,  when  it  appeared 
to  be  too  late,  lamenting  over  his  case.     They  told  me,  that 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  319 

that  morning  he  slit  up  and  eat  his  breakfast,  and  said 
there  had  been  two  devils  at  his  bedside,  waiting  for  him 
all  night.  Whether  that  was  so  or  not,  one  thing  was  evi, 
dent,  he  was  in  a  very  unhappy  state  of  mind.  I  went  out 
for  some  persons  to  stay  with  him,  and  found  three  men, 
who  came  along  with  me.  But  as  soon  as  they  saw  the 
frightful  appearance  of  the  dying  man,  they  appeared  to 
be  much  affrighted,  and  took  their  seats  near  the  door. 
Having  made,  as  I  thoaght,  suitable  provision  for  him,  I  at- 
tempted to  go  home.  I  had  proceeded  but  a  little  way, 
when  I  found  I  had  forgotten  something,  and  went  back  ; 
and  oh  !  what  a  dreadful  sight  1  saw  !  The  men  had  fled,  as 
if  they  had  seen  a  demon.  The  man  was  up  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  floor,  and  his  face  apparently  black  with  rage, 
struggling  with  his  wife,  who  was  trying  to  keep  him  from 
rushing  into  the  streets.  I  spoke  to  him,  but  all  was  vain. 
I  then  laid  hold  of  him,  and,  with  the  greatest  eifort  I  could 
make,  got  him  near  the  bed,  when  he  fell  back  in  a  dreadful 
fit,  and  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  frightful  sights  I  ever 
saw.  However,  we  got  him  on  the  bed,  and  he  partially 
revived  ;  but  in  about  two  hours  he  died,  in  the  most  dread- 
ful way.  Oh  how  dreadful,  dreadful !  Never  may  1  see 
another  drunken  backslider  die  !  no,  never,  never  ! 

But,  with  a  few  such  distressing  and  afflictive  circum- 
stances, I  had  many  kind  friends,  with  many  precious  sea- 
sons of  divine  grace,  calculated  to  sustain  and  comfort  my 
mind.  And,  did  time  permit,  I  could  relate  many  circum- 
stances that  go  to  show  the  sufficiency  of  religion  to  give 
complete  victory  in  the  most  solemn  and  trying  hours. 

In  1814,  I  was  appointed  to  travel  what  was  then  called 
Berkley  circuit,  lying  between  the  North  and  South  moun- 
tains, embracing  Harper's  Ferry,  Charlestown,  Winchester, 
Martinsburgh,  and  Shepherdstown,  [where  my  family  lived, 
after  we  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  parsonage  house,)  witji 


320  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

one  week's  labor  in  the  mountains.     My  colleague,  (whose 
name  was   John  Mackelfrish,)  with  myself,  went  on  with 
some  good  degree  of  success  through  the  year;  but  I  caga- 
not  recollect  any  peculiar  incident  -worth  naming.     For, 
although  it  was  good  a  circuit,  and  there  many  good  chris- 
tians on  it,  we  had  not  as   great  success  as  we  could  have 
wished.     This,  however,  was  one  of  the  most  memorable 
years  of  my  life ;  inasmuch  as  1  was  called  to  witness  the 
death  of  my  beloved  father.     He  had  lived,  for  some  time, 
about  a  mile  or  two  from  the  city  of  Annapolis,  up  towards 
Baltimore,  on  the  Chesapeake  Bay.     From  the  date  of  the 
letter  informing  me  of  his  severe  illness,  I  concluded  he 
would  be  better  or  dead,  before  1  could  get  to^see  him  ;  for 
I  was  then  distant  about  one  hundred  miles.     However,  I 
set  out  as  soon  as  I   could  ;  and,  on  my  arrival,  1  found 
him  still  alive,  but  extremely  ill,  with  a    violent  dysentery. 
His  disease  could  not  be    checked;  and   therefore  termi- 
nated his  earthly  career.     From   my  itinerant  life,  1  had 
often  feared  I  should  not  have  the  privilege  of  being  with 
him    in  his   last   moments;   but,  through  the  blessing   of 
Almighty  God,  I  was  permitted  to  be  by  his  bed-side,  night, 
and  day,  for  about  three  weeks  before  his  departure,  and  to 
witness  his  praying  frame  of  mind,  that  gave  me  hope  in  his 
death.     We  buried  his  earthly  remains,  on  the  east  side  of 
the  ferry  landing,  across   Severn  river;  and  then  1  l6ft  for 
home,   in  Shepherdstown,  where  I  found,  through  the  bles- 
sing of  God,   my  family  in  usual  health.      Although  the 
beautiful  valley  in  which  we  lived,  was  considered  generally 
healthy,  we  were  visited,  that  winter,  with  a  strange  disease, 
called  the  Cold  Plague,   which  carried  off  many  to  their 
long  homes.     And,  inasmuch  as  it  was  rapid   in   its  pro- 
gress, and  not  understood  by  the  physicians,  it  caused  great 
alarm  throughout  the  country ;  and  we  might  have  suppo- 
sed it  would  have  caused  a  very  great  religious  excitement, 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  321 

fcut  it  did  not.  The  minds  of  the  people  were  so  taken  up 
with  the  war  that  was  then  raging  on  our  borders;  with  the 
many  disasters  that  befell  us — for  the  City  of  Washington 
had  been  taken,  our  Capitol  burned,  and  Alexandria  inva- 
ded and  occupied  by  the  British — that  they  could  scarcely 
be  brought  to  think  or  speak  of  any  thing  else.  Indeed,  it 
appeared  to  be  almost  useless  to  preach  at  all ;  but,  thank 
God,  towards  the  latter  part  of  the  conference  year,  the 
horrid  scenes  of  war  were  brought  to  a  close  ;  General 
Jackson,  with  his  brave  army,  having  been  enabled  to  strike 
the  final  and  decisive  blow,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1815. 
I  well  recollect,  I  was  in  the  mountains,  at  the  time  I  heard 
the  joyful  news ;  and  that  it  called  forth  the  warmest  grat- 
itude of  my  heart,  not  only  to  think  that  the  bloody  strife 
was  over,  but  that  there  would  be  a  better  opportunity  for 
the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  religion. 

In  March,  1815,  I  was  appointed  to  Winchester  circuit, 
with  Ezra  Grover  for  my  colleague.  I  moved  my  family  to 
Winchester;  where  we  found  many  kind,  religious  friends; 
among  whom  were  the  Rev.  William  Wall,  Rev.  Michael 
Fry,  and  the  Rev.  George  Reed,  with  their  families.  W© 
had  great  peace  in  our  borders,  this  year  ;  but,  notwithstand- 
ing we  labored  hard,  we  had  no  great  revival  of  religion,  al- 
though  we  had  some  ingathering  into  the  fold  of  Christ^- 
with  many  refreshing  seasons,  When  I  set  out  in  the  itin- 
erant ministry,  I  set  out  for  life  ;  but  here,  I  had  one  week's 
temptation  to  locate.  It  came  into  my  mind,  one  day,  as  I 
was  riding  along,  that  I  was  acting  as  a  fool,  to  neglect  my 
family,  and  worldly  concerns,  as  I  did;  especially  as  I  was 
not,  at  any  time,  getting  a  support,  and  if  I  would  improve 
what  I  had,  I  might  amply  provide  for  my  children  a  good 
living,  and  be  independent  of  the  favors  or  frowns  of  men. 
Such  thoughts  were  more  and  more  lively  and  strong,  until  I 
resolved  when  I  got  home  I  would  consult  mv  wife.  Accord- 
41 


322  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

ingly,  I  mentioned  the  subject  to  her ;  and  we  tried  to  weigllf 
it,  as  well  as  we  could,  on  both  sides.  On  one,  the  way  in 
which  we  were  then  going,  there  appeared  to  be  much  pri- 
vation and  suffering,  with  no  worldly  gain;  while,  on  the 
other,  wivh  but  little  attention,  plenty  of  this  world's 
goods.  Bat,  at  the  end  of  this  fair  picture,  we  asked  the 
questions,  What  becomes  of  my  ministry,  in  this  way? 
May  we  not  lose  some  part  of  the  eternal  reward  ?  one  par- 
ticle of  which  would  be  worth  all,  or  more,  than  earth  can 
give.  The  very  thought  of  such  a  loss,  cast  a  gloom  on  the 
world,  and  all  that  belonged  to  a  local  life  ;  and  our  hearts 
turned  sick  within  us.  I  felt  as  if  I  would  not  have  the 
whole  world,  with  all  its  wealth  and  honors,  as  a  gracious 
gift,  if  it  would  stand  in  my  way,  so  as  to  prevent  me  from 
any  part  of  the  better  inheritance.  We,  therefore,  forthwith 
concluded,  to  go  on  at  any  rate,  until  the  world  broke 
down  under  us ;  and  when  we  can  go  no  longer — if  this 
should  ever  take  place — we  will  stop,  but  not  till  then. 
Little,  indeed,  did  we  think,  when  we  made  this  resolution, 
that  the  world  iDOiddeyer  break  down  under  us  ;  but  it  did; 
and  we  have  had  to  stop,  for  a  little  while. 

One  night,  while  on  the  top  of  Blue  Ridge  Mountain, 
above  Frontroyal,  about  fifty  miles  from  home,  just  about 
dark,  a  messenger  arrived,  and  told  me  my  wife  was  ill.  I 
knew  she  must  be  dangerous,  or  she  would  not  suffer  me  to 
be  sent  for  ;  neither  would  any  small  matter  give  her  alarm. 
Hence,  it  gave  me  great  uneasiness.  The  roads  had  been 
very  muddy,  and  were  now  a  little  frozen  on  the  top,  with 
snow  enough  to  cover  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  hide  all 
the  bad  places  in  the  road ;  in  addition  to  which,  there  was 
nothing  but  a  narrow  bridle-path  for  a  considerable  distance 
through  the  mountains.  Thus,  it  may  be  presumed,  1  had 
a  bad  and  difficult  road  to  pass ;  and,  therefore,  as  the  fore- 
part of  the  night  was  very  dark,  I  waited  till  midnight,  and 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  328 

Started  at  the  rising  of  the  moon.  I  pressed  on  with  all 
possible  speed,  until  I  arrived  at  home,  which  was  sometime 
before  sunset.  I  wanted  to  hear  from  my  wife,  but  was 
afraid  to  see  any  one  ;  however,  on  arriving  near  my  home, 
I  met  a  close  neighbor,  who  looked  up  and  smiled.  This 
gave  me  some  relief;  but  when  he  said,  "All  is  well  ; 
your  wife  is  better,  and  in  a  fair  way  to  recover,"  it  was  like 
throwing  a  mountain  from  my  heart,  and  I  thanked  God  for 
His  infinite  mercy.  My  wife  has  been,  for  the  most  part  of 
her  married  life,  in  feeble  health,  and  has  frequently  had 
spells  of  sickness  ;  yet  this  was — as.  far  as  I  can  recollect, 
the  only  time  she  ever  hindered  me  a  day,  from  my  regular 
work.  For,  sick  or  well,  she  would  always  insist  on  my 
filling  my  appointments  ;  believing  it  was  the  way  of  the 
greatest  safety  for  her,  as  well  as  that  of  my  greatest  pros- 
perity in  my  holy  calling. 

At  the  close  of  this  conference  year,  although  we  had  but 
ordinary  success,  a  strong  petition  went  on  to  Conference, 
(which  sat  in  Georgetown,)  for  my  return  to  this  delightful 
circuit.  And,  as  in  addition  to  this,  it  was  just  about  three 
weeks  from  my  wife's  confinement,  I  concluded  I  should 
be  sure  to  get  back ;  which  would  have  been  very  pleasing 
to  us.  But,  we  were  disappointed.  I  was  told  by  those 
who  knew,  that,  at  first,  I  was  put  down  to  return  to  Win- 
chester. But  Carlisle  circuit  was  left  vacant  for  a  long 
time:  and,  in  calling  over  the  names  of  the  preachers,  none 
would  suit  it,  in  Bishop  M'Kendree's  estimation,  till  he 
came  to  my  name.  This  was  done  several  times  ;  at  each 
of  which  he  would  say,  That  is  the  man.  And,  although 
reminded  that  I  was  already  down  for  Winchester  circuit, 
he  would  insist  on  sending  me  to  Carlisle  ;  but  why,  none 
could  tell.  At  length,  he  met  me  in  the  street,  and  asked 
me  if  I  could  go  to  that  circuit  ?  I  told  him,  if  he  thought 
it  best,  I  would  try  to  do  so ;  and  I  was  accordingly  sent,  in 


324  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

the  spring  of  1816  with  brother  Robert  Boyd,  for  my  col- 
league. It  was  about  one  hundred  miles  from  Winchester, 
to  where  we  lived.  We  started  as  soon  as  possible  :  had 
some  difficulties  on  the  road,  but  arrived  in  good  time  ; 
rented  a  house  in  Carlisle,  and  went  to  work,  expecting  to 
.do  something  extraordinary,  because  of  the  strangeness  of 
jny  appointment.     Nor  was  1  disappointed  in  this. 

The  first  thing  I  met  with,  soon  after  my  arrival,  was  the 
-case  of  an  old  member,  who  had  been  turned  out;  but  on  an 
appeal,  he  was  granted  a  new  trial  which  now  came  under 
my  administration.  In  inquiring  into  the  case,  I  found  a 
wicked,  and  envious  neighbor,  for  some  trifling  imagina- 
ry offence,  had  complained  against  him,  and  was  suffered 
to  stand  on  the  trial  as  his  accuser ;  thereby  placing  him 
€n  a  level  with  a  member  of  the  church.  When  we  came 
together  again,  for  a  new  hearing,  he  wanted  to  appear  in 
that  character  again  ;  but  I  let  him  know  that  he  could  not, 
and  that  we  could  only  hear  him  as  a  witness  in  the  case; 
after  which  he  must  retire,  and  leave  us  to  do  our  own  bu- 
siness. He  did  so,  with  evident  dissatisfaction ;  and  the 
trial  resulted  in  the  old  member's  honourable  arquital  ; 
thereby,  no  doubt,  saving  a  whole  family  from  disgrace  and 
probably  ruin.  And  what  showed  his  wicked  neighbor's 
bad  design  the  more  plainly  was,  when  he  found  he  was  thus 
.defeated,  he  requested  me  to  write  down  the  charge  made, 
with  some  other  things  connected  with  it,  and  to  sign  my 
name,  and  induce  the  committee  to  sign  it  also  ;  that — ac- 
cording to  his  own  confession  afterwards — he  might  be  the 
better  enabled  to  birng  an  action  in  law  against  him,  and 
to  call  us  as  witnesses.  But  in  this  also  he  was  defeated ; 
for  we  all  refused  to  grant  his  request. 

It  was  not  long  after  this,  before  I  came  to  a  family  liv- 
ing in  a  small  village,  in  a  much  worse  situation  than  the 
first    The  old  father  rode  with  me  some  distance,  on  my 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  325 

leaving  his  house,  and  told  me  while  he  wept  bitterly,  that 
two  of  his  sons-in-law  were  just  about  to  go  to  law  with  each 
other  ;  and  their  difficulty  was  so  great,  he  feared  they  would 
be  entirely  ruined.  They  had  been  in  partnership  in  a  store 
and  a  distillery  ;  and  when  they  separated  and  tried  to  set- 
tle, they  found  they  had  lost  some  of  their  papers,  and  could 
not  come  to  a  satisfactory  understanding.  The  church  had 
taken  the  matter  under  advisement  at  different  times,  for 
four  years,  but  never  could  settle  it ;  and  now,  they  were 
going  to  law,  although  they  were  both  members  of  the 
church.  I  could  but  feel  for  the  old  man,  while  he  made 
his  statement,  and  requested  me,  if  possible  to  do  some- 
thing for  them.  The  first  opportunity  I  had,  I  waited  on 
them,  and  they  both  agreed  to  my  own  arrangement,  and 
promised,  if  I  could  get  a  committee  to  say  what  they 
should  do,  they  would  do  it.  I  theiefore  took  pourage,  ar. 
ranged  the  matter  according  to  our  discipline;  and  when 
we  came  together,  we  proceeded  very  well,  until  we  came 
to  the  dark  place,  at  which,  for  the  want  of  the  lost  pa- 
pers, all  proceedings  had  previously  stopped.  Here  we 
stopped  also,  for  a  moment ;  when  I  told  the  committee, 
that  they  must  proceed,  dark  as  it  was,  and  make  out  the 
best  judgment  they  could  ;  for  the  men  had  pledged  their 
word  to  abide  by  their  decision.  And  that,  although  for 
the  want  of  proper  information,  they  might  make  one  of 
them  lose  something  more  than  perhaps,  he  ought,  it  would 
be  nothing  in  comparison  to  the  losses  they  must  neces- 
sarily sustain,  if  they  went  to  law ;  for  the  lawyers  would 
keep  them  at  it,  until  they  got  all  they  had.  And,  in 
all  probability,  it  would  have  to  be  settled  by  an  arbitra- 
tion at  last.  They  then  proceeded  to  the  best  of  their  abil- 
ity and  struck  a  line  through  the  dark  ;  and  finally  made 
out  their  judgment,  which  I  delivered  immediately  to  the 
men  concerned.     On  hearing  it,  without  a  word  more,  they 


326  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

agreed  to  it,  and  fell  into  each  other's  arms  with  tears ;  al- 
though they.and  their  families,  had  not  spoken  to  each  oth- 
er for  a  long  time.  And  here  the  whole  matter  was  forev- 
er  settled  ;  and  peace  and  harmony  delightfully  restored. 
No  one  can  tell  the  joy  I  felt  in  seeing  the  good  old  man, 
and  all  his  family  so  happy,  as  they  were,  on  the  deliver- 
ance they  had  experienced,  from  the  great  difficulty,  that 
had  so  long  marred  their  peace,  and  had  threatened  to  des- 
troy it  forever.  Bless  the  Lord  for  his  tender  mercy,  and 
his  loving  kindness  to  the  children  of  men. 

It  was,  I  think,  at  our  first  quarterly  meeting,  that  it  was 
proposed  to  hold  a  camp  meeting ;  which,  the  movers  sug- 
gested, would  be  best  held  in  a  corner  of  the  circuit,  where 
they  had  had  one  the  year  before, at  which,  one  of  the  preach- 
ers  had  been  stabbed-though  he  was  not  killed. -Here,  how- 
ever, they  could  only  get  together  a  few  of  the  members  of 
the  circuit;  and  of  course  there  could  be  but  little  expecta- 
tion of  much  good.  1  requested  them  to  let  me  have  the 
privilege  of  fixing  on  the  place,  while  the  presiding  Elder 
would  fix  the  time.  They  did  so  ;  and  on  finding  out  as 
near  as  I  could,  the  centre  of  the  circuit ;  and  finding  a 
beautiful  place  oa  a  creek  called  Yellow  Breeches,  owned 
by  a  presbyterian  gentleman,  1  went  to  him, and  laid  the  case 
befoie  him.  And  he  not  only  granted  me  the  ground,  but 
also  promised  to  protect  and  help  us  all  he  could.  My  col- 
league (Robert  Boyd)  who  was  an  industrious  and  zealous 
young  man,  with  myself,  in  due  time  took  pains  to  give  in- 
formation to  the  whole  circuit,  and  to  urge  our  friends  to 
come  up  from  the  most  distant  parts,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord 
against  the  mighty.  And,  like  willing  souls,  who  loved 
the  cause  of  their  Master,  they  did  so  ;  and  the  consequence 
was,  on  the  first  day,  we  had  one  hundred  and  ten  tents  erec- 
ted on  the  ground,  and  before  all  was  over,  a  great  many 
more.     Our  congregations  were  very  large,  and  for  the  most 


AUTHOR'S    LIFE  327 

part  we  had  good  order.  But  the  best  of  all  was,  the  Lord 
was  with  us,  and  made  bare  his  almighty  arm  in  the  de- 
fence of  his  own  cause  ;  many  precious  souls  professed  to 
be  converted  to  God  ;  and  after  many  had  gone  home,  we 
had  on  probation  at  one  time,  upwards  of  eighty  precious 
immortal  souls.  And,  what  was  very  remarkable,  they 
were  mostly  young  men — that  stood  up  like  a  mighty  army 
on  the  side  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts — out  of  whom  came,  sever. 
al  preachers  of  the  everlasting  gospel.  .This  indeed  was  a 
great  thing  for  our  circuit,  hitherto  poor  in  number,  for  its 
size.  It  seemed  to  give  a  universal  blessing  ;  for  nearly 
every  class  partook  more  or  less  of  the  good  that  had  been 
done  at  this  camp  meeting ;  and  the  whole  circuit  contin- 
ued to  prosper  to  the  end  of  the  year. 

In  March  1817,  I  was  sent  back  again,  or  re-appointed  to 
Carlisle  county,  with  brother  George  Brown  for  my  col- 
league ;  and  from  the  gracious  revival  that  had  commenced 
the  year  before,  our  appointments  and  labour  had  greatly 
increased.  The  boundary  that  embraced  Carlisle,  Shippens- 
burg,  Gettisburg,  Berlin,  York,  and  the  town  opposite  to 
Harrisburgh,  was  large.  And  now,  the  intermediate  space, 
that  for  the  most  part  had  been  left  vacant  before,  being 
well  filled,  gave  us  many  more  appointments  than  ordinary; 
and  we  had  to  preach  as  many  as  thirty  three  times  in  four 
weeks,  as  well  as  lead  from  twenty  to  thirty  classes  ;  with 
the  discharge  of  other  duties.  But  although  I  became  so 
worn  down  with  constant  labour,  that  I  thought  for  a  while, 
I  should  be  compelled  to  retire  from  the  work,  the  Lord 
more  than  repaid  me  for  all  ;  for  he  continued  to  revive 
his  work. 

Gettisburgh,  about  the  time  I  first  got  to  the  circuit,  had 
been  reduced  to  seven  poor  woiiien,  mostly  widows ;  two 
of  whom  we  had  to  help  from  the  charity  collections  of  the 
church.    But,  although  neither  of  them  was  able  to  entertain 


328  A  SKETCH  OF  THE. 

ts,  such  was  their  piety,  and  our  hope  in  Israel's  God,  that 
we  determined  to  pay  our  expenses  at  a  tavern,  and  not  to' 
give  them  up.  We  had  to  labour  in  the  court-hoase,  while 
several  other  denominations  had  excellent  houses  of  wor- 
ship to  assemble  in  ;  and  for  a  while,  the  success  of  our  la- 
bours appeared  to  be  doubtful.  But  at  length  our  congrega- 
tions began  to  increase  ;  seriousness  and  attention  were  de- 
picted in  almost  every  countenance,  and  a  glorious  revivat 
broke  out,  that  resulted  in  the  ingathering  of  many  pre- 
cious souls,  and  in  giving  us  several  excellent  homes ; 
which  saved  us  from  going  to  the  tavern  as  we  had  former- 
ly done. 

The  Lord  in  mercy  continued  to  revive  his  work  al! 
around  the  circuit,  until  the  close  of  the  year  ;  and  we  re- 
ceived, in  the  course  of  the  two  years,  about  five  hundred 
souls  into  the  Church  of  God.  This,  indeed,  was  a  great 
work,  that  God  had  wrought,  and  wonderful,  when  it  is  con- 
sidered, that  the  great  mass  of  the  people,  were  raised  up' 
in,  and  considered  members  of,  some  branch  of  the  Church. 
When  I  fiist  went  to  this  circuit,  and  found  how  little  Meth- 
odism was  esteemed,  how  fed  and  poor  we  were,  I  felt 
greatly  humbled,  as  well  as  somewhat  discouraged.  But, 
at  the  close  of  my  two  years'  labor,  I  was  enabled  to  tri- 
umph in  the  God  of  my  salvation,  who  had  done  such  great 
things  for  us.  The  people  on  the  circuit  were  mostly  Ger- 
mans: and  when  I  went  on  from  old  Virginia,  where  there' 
is  so  much  kindness  and  hospitality  shown  to  Methodist 
preachers,  I  feared  I  should  suffer  great  privation,  and  not 
know  how  to  demean  myself  so  as  to  please  and  have  suc- 
cess. But  I  soon  found,  although  the  Germans  were  a  plain 
people,  they  too  were  kiad,  in  their  way:  and  after  a  little  ac- 
quaintance, all  my  feais  vanished,  for  I  found  a  warm  and 
sincere  hearted  christian  people,  ready  to  receive,  and  da 
me  good. 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  329 

In  Carlisle,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the  infinite 
goodness  of  God,  as  manifested  not  only  in  the  glorious  re- 
vival of  his  work,  but  also  in  the  death  of  his  saints.  A 
brother  Walker,  who  had  been  one  of  the  class-leaders,  and 
noted  for  his  piety,  became — for  about  twelve  months  be- 
fore his  death — exceedingly  gloomy  and  desponding.  Du- 
ring that  time,  I  frequently  conversed  with  him,  and  strove, 
especially,  by  the  aid  of  Scripture,  to  dissipate  his  gloom 
and  cheer  his  heart.  But  quote  what  I  would,  it  appeared 
to  be  of  no  use  ;  for  he  would  always  say ;  Oh,  that  may 
be  for  others,  but  not  for  me.  One  day,  when  about  to  go 
to  my  appointment,  I  saw  several  friends  hastening  to  his 
house,  which  caused  me  to  go  too.  When  I  went  in,  ma- 
ny were  standing  around  his  bed,  and  he  appeared  to  be 
nearly  gone  ;  so  much  so,  that  we  expected  every  breath  to 
be  his  last.  His  friends  were  weeping  bitterly,  not  only 
because  he  was  dying,  but  because  he  had  never  expressed 
himself  as  being  delivered  from  his  doubts  and  fears.  This 
gave  them  their  greatest  grief.  But  while  they  were  v/eep- 
ing,  and  he  dying,  I  began  to  sing,  "  The  men  of  grace  have 
found,"  &c.  and  I  had  sung  but  a  few  verses,  when  he  began 
to  revive ;  and  as  soon  as  he  could  speak,  he  began  to 
shout  and  praise  God  saying,  Glory,  Glory  !  oh,  the  name  of 
Jesus,  what  sweet  harmony  it  strikes  upon  my  soul !  The 
cloud  appeared  to  break  immediately,  from  every  mind, 
and  there  was  one  general  burst  of  glory  to  God.  One  broth- 
er, standing  by  said,  Brother  Walker,  all  is  well  now?  he 
answered  Yes,  and  it  was  the  only  time  they  could  arrest  his 
attention  for  a  moment. 

He  continued  to  give  glory  to  God,  for  about  two  hours, 
when  his  happy  spirit  took  its  flight  to  blissful  immortality. 

There  was  also,  another  noted  christian  in  that  town,  by 
the  name  of  John  Kennedy,  who  because  of  his  exemplary 
walk,  and  godly  conversation,  appeared  to  be  universally 
42 


330  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

beloved ;  and  christians  of  all  denomination  claimed  him  as^ 
their  brother.  He  lingered  long  in  consumption.  I  visited' 
him  often  on  his  dying  bed;  and  when  I  would  converse 
with  him  about  dying,  he  appeared  to  be  overwhelmed  with 
joy ;  and  expressed  it  in  a  most  singular  manner.  He 
would  laugh,  weep,  and  praise  God,  almost  in  the  same 
breath.  One  day  after  praying  with  him,  and  to  my  great 
joy  witnessing  his  happy  state  of  mind  ;  and  about  to  start 
on  my  circuit,  1  said,  Brother  Kennedy,  I  think  you  will  be 
in  heaven  before  1  get  home  again.  He  burst  into  a  hearty 
laugh  again,  and  said  Brother,  do  you  think  so  ?  I  told 
him  I  did.  And  Brother,  said  he,  I  am  sure  if  I  get  there, 
after  a  while,  1  shall  see  you  there ;  for  I  am  sure  you  will 
get  there  too.  And  although  it  was  but  the  word  of  a  good 
man,  it  seemed  to  give  new  vigor  to  my  hope  of  everlasting 
rest.  Although  I  did  not  then  expect  it,  t  returned  home 
time  enough  to  attend  his  funeral ;  which  gave  me  an  op- 
portunity of  witnessing  the  great  love  the  people  had  for 
him.  It  appeared  as  if  the  whole  town  turned  out  to  bury 
him,  and  in  every  possible  way,  to  express  their  christian 
regard  and  veneration  for  him.  How  true  it  must  be, 
''precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his 
saints." 

I  must  mention  one  more  case,  in  this  circuit,  of  a  very- 
pious  young  woman.  She  was  remarkable  for  shouting  oc- 
casionally with  all  her  might ;  and,  although  it  was  a  little 
annoying  to  some ;  she  was  borne  with  and  loved  by  all, 
until  she  was  afflicted  with  the  dropsy  of  a  peculiar  kind, 
that  made  her  appear  as  a  single  woman  should  not ;  and 
such  was  the  peculiarity  of  her  case,  that  her  physician,  and 
warmest  friends  were  deceived,  and  gave  her  up.  She  was 
sternly  forbidden  to  shout ;  and  many  other  marks  of  disap- 
probation was  placed  upon  her,  so  that  she  was  doubly  af- 
flicted; notwithstanding  her  constant  declarations  of  her  in- 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  331 

g&ocence.  But  time  and  tide  it  is  said,  bring  all  things  to 
bear  ;  and  all  were  made  to  repent  of  their  harsh  censure, 
for  she  was  found  to  be  innocent.  While  she  was  so  much 
afflicted  in  mind  and  body,  it  is  said,  she  often  prayed,  that 
she  might  be  permitted  to  di«  shouting ;  and  God,  who 
knows  how  to  deliver  the  righteous  out  of  all  their  troubles, 
heard  her  prayer.  She  was  called  to  die,  while  living  in  a 
good  Presbyterian  family.  They  said,  as  1  have  been  credit- 
ably informed, that  she  appeared  to  die, and  they  thought  she 
was  forever  gone;  but  she  came  to  shouting,  and  shouted 
on  with  a  loud  voice,  till  she  sunk  in  death.  And  may  we 
not  say  in  her  behalf,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  saints  of 
the  most  high,  "thanks  be  to  God  w^ho  giveth  us  the  vic- 
tory, through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Many  more  inter- 
esting circumstances  might  be  mentioned,  but  time  would 
fail;  ind  I  once  more  bid  adieu  to  beloved  Carlisle  circuit. 

In  the  spring  of  1818  and  1819,  1  was  appointed  to  trav- 
el good  old  Baltimore  circuit,  with  brother  L  Taylor  and  G. 
Payton,  for  my  colleagues.  I  moved  my  family  to  Hooks- 
town,  where  there  was  a  neat  little  parsonage,  about  five 
miles  distant  from  Baltimore  city.  This  was  indeed,  a  very 
pleasant  circuit ;  the  people  kind  and  religious,  and  conse- 
quently it  was  pleasant  to  serve  them.  During  the  two 
years,  we  had  many  gracious  seasons,  with  a  considerable 
ingathering  into  the  fold  of  Christ :  but  nothing,  as  I  can 
recollect,  of  a  very  extraordinary  nature.  All  went  on  regu- 
larly, smoothly,  and  to  some  extent  prosperously,  through- 
out the  two  years.  And  what  made  it  still  more  pleasant, 
we  had  exceedingly  kind  and  precious  neighbors,  among 
whom,  was  an  able,  and  kind  physician,  H.  Wilkins,  Pro- 
fessor in  the  first  medical  College  of  Baltimore  City,  with 
his  amiable  wife  and  daughters.  Truly  we  had  a  pleasant 
time,  through  the  mercy  of  God. 

In  the  last  year,  as  our  meeting  house  in  Hookstown  was 


3:32  ,     A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

small,  as  well  as  old  and  uncomfortable,  we  determined  to 
try  to  build  a  good  house;  and  the  first  man  applied  to  for  help 
was  brother  John  Kelso.  As  soon  as  1  had  told  him  my 
business,  he  pulled  out  his  pocket-book,  and  said,  Here  are 
fifty  dollars  to  commence  with ;  and  here  is  another  broth- 
er who  will  give  you  fifty  more.  But  he  was  mistaken  ; 
we  could  not  get  anything  out  of  him.  I  told  brother  Kelso, 
I  did  not  want  the  money  then,  but  only  wanted  to  see  what 
I  could  get  subscribed.  No,  no,  said  he,  here  it  is;  what  I 
do,  I  do  in  earnest,  and  you  need  not  fear,  you  will  build 
the  house.  And  so  it  was  ;  we  found  willing  and  charita- 
ble souls  enough,  to  build  a  handsome  stone  house  for  di- 
vine worship ;  in  which  the  Lord  has  long  since  recorded 
his  holy  name. 

I  left  this  delightful  circuit  for  Baltimore  city,  where  I 
was  stationed  in  1820  and  1821.  And  my  family  resided 
in  the  parsonage,  back  of  Light  Street  Church,  as  I  had  to 
labour  in  that  part  of  the  city.  The  first  year,  I  had  bro- 
thers, Thomas  Buich,  and  Frederick  Stier  for  my  collea- 
gues;  the  second  year,  brothers  Asa  Shinar,  James  M'Can 
and  Samuel  Davis. 

After  a  few  months,  brother  Stier  went  off,  and  got  mar- 
ried, and  never  returned  again;  so  the  whole  burden  of  that 
heavy  station,  having  eight  churches  to  fill,  was  left  on 
brother  Burch  and  myself.  And  it  was  well  for  us,  that  we 
had  an  able  body  of  local  preachers,  to  aid  us  ;  for  as  it 
was,  we  had  to  preach  three  times  every  sabbath  day,  as 
well  as  lead  several  classes,  and  do  all  the  work  of  the  sta- 
tion through  the  week.  I  have  frequently  met  a  class  at 
seven,  another  at  nine  o'clock,  preached  at  eleven,  and  if  it 
was  the  first  sabbath  in  the  month,given  the  holy  sacrament; 
preached  at  3  o'clock,  again  at  night,  and  sometimes,  held 
prayer  meeting  till  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock.  Truly  the  la- 
bour was  excessive  ;  but  the  Lord  gave  us  strength  for  our 
iday. 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  333 

Although  this  is  one  of  the  most  favorable  and  prosperous 
stations,  in  a  general  way,  on  the   continent  of  America, 
and  is  sometimes  called,  by  way  of  pre-eminance,  the  Nur- 
sery of  Methodism,  yet  we  had  but  little  success  during  our 
whole  stay.     The  cause  appeared  to  be  two-fold ;  the  dis- 
tress  and  failure  in  worldly  matters,  which,  indeed,   was 
great.     Many  of  the  principal  merchants,  as  well  as  others, 
broke  ;  and  the  city  was  so  deserted,  that  many  doors,  in 
the  most  business  part  of  the  city,  had  written  on  them,  in 
large  letters,  *'  To  let."     In  addition  to  this,  the  yellow  fe- 
ver  raged,   both  summers,    in    one   part  of  the   city ;  and 
many  were  carried  off.     One  would  have  thought  that  such 
afflictions,    would  have   driven  the  people,  by  thousands, 
into  the  Church,  for  refuge;   but  it  was  not   so.      When 
they  came  to  worship,  they,  for  the  most  part,  appeared  to 
be  dull  and  unfeeling ;  and  we  became  so  discouraged,  we 
could  seldom  preach  as  we  had  done.  All  of  which  went  to 
prov  e,that  it  is  true,  as  it  is  written,  "  Not  by  might,  nor  by 
power,  but  hy  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord."    If  any  one  sup- 
poses that  earthquakes, or  famine,  or  pestilence, or  any  other 
disaster,  can  give  men  religion,  they  are  much  mistaken. 
These  are  seasons  of  partial   chastisement ;  and  must  be 
accompanied  with,  or  succeeded  by,  mercy,  and  the  out- 
pouring of  the  Spirit  of  God,  before  the  heart  is  inclined  to 
seek  salvation.     For  it  is  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  alone, 
that  we  are  brought  home  to  God.     It  is  true,  we  had  some 
refreshing  seasons;  and  some  ingathering  of  souls  ;  but  they 
were  small,  for  Baltimore  city.     But  one  thing  we  had  in 
abundance,   to  comfort  and  cheer  us,  amidst  the  general 
gloom;  i.  e.,  the   smiles  and   hearty  approbation   of   our 
friends.     Perhaps  there  is  no  place  more  noted  for  general 
3aospitality,  than  this  noble  city  ;  and  there  can  be  none 
•more  affectionate  and  kind  to  their  preachers.    They  refuse, 
without  some  special  reason,  to  petition  for,  or  make  choice 


334  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

of  any;  preferring,  like  wise  men,  to  leave  the  whole  re- 
sponsibility with  the  appointing  power.  And  when  the 
preachers  are  sent,  no  matter  what  their  talents  may  be, 
they  are  their  preachers  for  the  time  being;  and  they  honor 
and  sustain  them  as  such.  And  I  have  often  thought,  that 
this  is  the  reason  why  they  so  generally  prosper.  For, 
although  we  had  a  peculiar  season,  which  tried  men's  souls, 
and  measurably  prevented  our  success;  yet,  for  the  most 
part,  this  city  is  exceedingly  favored  with  the  out-pouring 
of  God's  Holy  Spirit;  and  consequently,  remarkable  for 
great  revivals.  And  I  have  often  thought  1  should  have  been 
glad  to  have  another  trial  in  that  beloved  city,  under  more 
favorable  circumstances  :  but  1  suppose  it  is  now  forever 
denied  me.  I  love  Baltimore  city:  and  I  think  no  one, 
as  a  Methodist  preacher,  can  serve  it  and  not  feel  it  en- 
deared to  his  heart. 

In  the  spring  of  1822,  our  conference  met  in  Baltimore 
City,  and  after  several  had  refused  to  go,  Iwas  appointed  to 
the  city  of  Pittsburgh.  When  I  first  heard  of  my  appoint- 
ment, I  was  much  pleased  ;  but  before  night  I  understood 
that  Asa  Shin,  and  Samuel  Davis — men  of  noted  talents 
and  without  families — had  been  petitioned  for  by  the 
church  in  that  city.  I  became  so  distressed  that  I  slept 
but  little  through  the  night ;  and  early  in  the  morning,  re- 
paired to  the  Bishop's  room,  where  I  found  the  venerable 
Roberts  and  George.  I  told  them,  they  knew  I  had  never 
asked  any  favours  but  always  received  my  appointment  as 
given  me  with  cheerfulness.  But  now  I  had  come  to  ask 
the  favour  of  being  released  from  going  to  Pittsburgh  ;  for 
I  understood  they  had  been  petitioned,  for  two  of  our  ablest 
ministers,  men  without  families  ;  while  1  was  sent  alone, 
and  had  a  family.  I  pleaded;  but  all  was  in  vain.  At  length 
Bishop  George  took  me  in  his  arms  and  said,  go  Richard  ; 
and  it  will  be  the  greatest  crown  you  ever  received.  Go, 
and  I  will  send  with  you  Henry  Bascom  from  Kentucky, 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  335 

and  he  can  preach  down  all  opposition.  This  was  truly 
encouraging ;  but  still,  I  was  afraid  to  go.  However,  1 
had  to  submit,  and  risk  all  consequences.  When  I  arrived 
in  that  city,  instead  of  meeting  as  I  feared,  the  frowns  of 
the  church,  I  never  met  with  a  more  hearty  welcome.  Al- 
though they  had  never  had  a  married  preacher  before,  ev- 
ery thing  was  in  preparation  for  myreception,  and  the  com- 
fort of  my  family.  I  preached  on  Thursday  night ;  and  by 
Sunday  morning,  a  welcome  hymn  had  been  composed, 
and  was  sung  before  I  preached  ;  and  indeed,  every  thing 
was  said  and  done  necessary  to  give  me  courage,  and  cheer 
my  heart.  And  it  is  to  this  unexpected  and  hearty  wel- 
come, that  I  attribute  under  God,  in  a  good  degree,  the  great 
success  I  had  during  my  stay.  The  Lord  made  it  such  a 
blessing  to  my  soul,  that  I  hardly  ever  ascended  the  sacred 
stand  without  feeling  1  had  power  to  preach  his  holy  word 
to  good  effect,  1  felt  as  a  preacher  should  always  feel,  at 
home  and  among  his  brethren.  And  the  best  of  all  was, 
God  was  with  us,  of  a  truth,  and  that  to  do  us  good. 

During  my  two  years'  labor  in  that  city,  I  had  but  little 
difficulty  in  the  administration  of  discipline,  and  almost 
one  constant  revival  of  religion.  It  is  true  there  was  not 
at  any  one  time,  such  a  great  flood  of  divine  mercy,  as  we 
sometimes  see  in  the  ingathering  of  precious  souls  to  the 
fold  of  Christ,  where  hundreds  are  brought  in  at  a  time; 
but,  there  appeared  to  be  one  constant  stream  of  divine 
goodness  ;  so  that  we  seldom  met  together  for  divine  ser- 
vice, w^ithout  witnessing  more  or  less  of  the  presence  of 
God,  either  in  the  awakening  and  conversion  of  precious 
immortal  souls,  or  in  cheering  and  comforting  his  humble 
and  believing  people.  The  last  meeting  I  held  was  re- 
markable for  the  conduct  of  one,  who  had  been  raised  in 
the  lap  of  affluence,  and  for  some  months,  through  the  read- 
ing of  the  Holy  Bible,  had  been  awakened  to  a  sense  of 


336  A  SKETCH  QF  THE 

his  danger,  through  sin.  In  the  midst  of  the  great  congre- 
gation, he  came  forward,  and  gave  me  his  hand  to  join  the 
Church ;  stating  that  he  felt  that  he  must  do  so  before  I  left 
the  City.  It  was  a  matter  of  some  astonishment  to  the  peo- 
ple, and  of  much  joy  to  the  Church  of  God  ;  as  it  had  been 
doubtful  for  a  long  time,  which  way  he  would  turn,  or  to 
what  branch  of  the  church  he  would  attach  himself.  May 
he  be  faithful  unto  death. 

I  recolkct  no  strange  circumstance  that  occurred,  ex- 
cept in  the  case  of  two  little  girls  ;  one  of  whom,  about 
eight  years  of  age,  was  brought  to  me  from  the  country,  to 
be  examined  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  And  I  found  she 
could  immediately  answer  any  question  I  asked  her  in  the 
Old  or  NewTestament,  by  turning  immediately  to  the  place 
where  it  was  to  be  found.  Her  familiarity  with,  and  knowl- 
edge of,  the  Bible,  grew  out  of  her  exceeding  fondness  for 
it.  She  was  known  frequently  to  retire  to  the  woods  a- 
lone,  on  the  holy  sabbath,  where  she  would  be  so  taken 
up  with  the  book  of  God,  that  she  could  not  be  persua- 
ded to  come  in  and  take  refreshment.  This  truly  was 
strange  for  a  child  only  eight  years  old.  The  other  "was 
a  sabbath  school  scholar,  who  would  recite,  every  sab- 
bath from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  verses,  of  scripture. 
When  I  left,  she  had  gone  through  the  New  Testament, 
and  was  well  advanced  in  the  Old  ;  and  no  doubt  long  since, 
has  had  the  pleasure  to  say,  she  had  memorized  the  whole 
of  the  sacred  volume. 

In  reflecting  upon  Pittsburg,  I  can  but  feel  the  most  sin- 
cere gratitude  and  joy  because  of  the  many  kind  friends  I 
met  with  there  ;  their  many  acts  of  peculiar  kindness  to 
my  family,  as  well  as  to  myself,  and  the  blessing  of  God 
that  accompanied  my  labours  in  that  city. 

As  I  finished  my  labours  in  Pittsburgh  in  the  spring  of 
1824,  of  course  I  had  to  expect  a  new  field  of  labour.    I 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  337 

loved  Pittsburgh,  and  my  friends  did  all  they  could  to  de- 
tain me  there.  But  for  me  to  sanction  their  plan,  would 
have  made  it  appear,  that  I  ivas  v^^illing  to  supplant  a  good 
brother ;  and  I  therefore,  tore  myself  away.  For  this  I 
have  frequently  been  sorrowful ;  for,  I  must  believe,  had  I 
yielded  to  their  wishes,  it  would  have  been  better  for  me  ; 
and  it  is  probable,  better  for  them  also.  There  was  mutual 
affection  between  us,  and  I  could  have  done  them  good,  by 
the  blessing  of  God,  But,  poor  short-sighted  mortals;  how 
often  do  they  err  !  May  the  Lord  forgive  me  for  this  error. 
I  packed  up  my  goods,  hired  a  conveyance  to  the  turn-pike, 
by  Uniontown,  and  went  on  pack  and  baggage,  to  the  Con- 
ference, that  sat  in  Winchester  1824.  I  was  there  elected 
to  the  General  Conference,  that  was  holden  in  Baltimore 
City,  at  which  w^e  experienced  much  difficulty;  as  the  fire 
of  Radicalism  was  then  at  its  greatest  height,  in  the  bosom 
of  the  church.  I  never  shall  forget  our  beloved  Bishop 
Roberts,  who  on  taking  the  chair,  called  the  attention  of 
the  preachers;  and  through  his  good  management,  was  suc- 
cessful in  settling  a  question, that  had  greatly  perplexed  the 
members  of  the  Conference.  Truly  it  was  a  time  that  tri- 
ed men's  souls.  For,  notwithstanding  it  may  be  said  in 
truth,  there  never  was  a  more  peaceful,  and  aifectionate  set 
of  men  to  be  found  in  any  branch  of  the  church,  than  the 
ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church ;  yet  on  that 
occasion,  some  of  them  appeared  to  be  almost  unmanage- 
able; such  was  their  anxiety  to  carry  their  views  concerning 
the  points  of  discipline  under  consideration.  Fortunately 
for]me,  I  hadjlong  before  that  time,  turned  my  attention  to  the 
system  of  rules,  by  which  our  church  is  governed;  and  had 
settled  down  in  the  opinion,  from  which  I  have  never  yet  de- 
parted, that  all  things  considered — and  especially  in  view 
of  an  itinerant  ministry — they  were  not  only  good,  but  the 
best  that  could  well  be  formed,  for  the  peace,  and  prosper- 
43 


338  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

ity  of  the  church.  But  still  I  could  but  think  my  brethren 
of  an  opposite  opinion,  who  desifed  some  changes — espec- 
ially concerning  the  appointment  of  presiding  elders  to 
their  office — were  equally  sincere,  and  as  desirous  as  I  was 
to  promote  the  interest  of  Methodism,  and  the  cause  and 
prosperity  of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom.  I  have  to  rejoice 
to  this  day,  that  I  have  never  cherished  any  bad  feelings  to- 
wards them  ;  although  I  have  been  firm  and  decided  in  my 
course,  and  believed  they  were  wrong  in  the  means  they 
used,  to  bring  about  what  they  supposed  a  beneficial  reform 
in  our  church  government.  I  ever  held  them  as  men  of 
God  ;  loved  them  in  my  heart  as  brethren  and  fathers  in  the 
church,  and  always  received  from  them  in  return,  the  kind- 
est expressions  of  confidence,  and  christian  regard. 

This  year  1824,  and  the  following  year  1825,  it  was  my 
lot  to  serve  on  Hartford  circuit,  embracing  Abington,  Belle 
Air,  Havre  de  Grace,  v/ith  many  country  appointments,  and 
other  small  villages.  The  first  year,  bro.  Basil  Barry  was  sent 
with  me  as  my  colleague  :  and  the  second  year,  brother 
Lumsden.  They  were  worthy  brethren,  and  laboured  faith- 
fully in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  We  had  a  very  pleas- 
ant time  amongst  our  kind-hearted,  and  affectionate  friends; 
but  no  great  revival,  although  I  think  we  had  some  increase 
in  our  numbers.  It  was  on  this  circuit  I  made  up  my 
mind,  to  remove  to  the  west;  but  before  I  fully  decided  on 
this  important  transaction  involving  so  much,  I  consulted 
Bishops  M'Kendree  and  Soul,  who  gavo  it  as  their  opinion, 
that  I  would  do  well  to  do  so.  I  accordingly  took  a  trans- 
fer to  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference. 

But,  while  I  found  it  hard  to  part  with  my  kind  Hartford 
friends,  and  the  members  of  the  Church  in  general — among 
whom  I  had  labored  for  seventeen  years — I  found  it  much 
harder  to  part  with  my  much  beloved  fathers  and  brethren 
of  the  Baltimore  Annual  Conference.    They  had  taken  me 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  339 

by  the  hand,  when  young,  and  borne  with  all  my  weakness. 
We.  had  labored,  many  of  us,  side  by  side,  and  suffered  pri- 
vation and  toil  together.  We  had  often  met  together  in 
Conference,  with  joyful  hearts^  and  taken  sweet  counsel 
together  ;  so  that  there  was  a  tender  tie  of  affection  formed, 
that  never  can  be  understood,  except  by  men  in  like  circum- 
stances. Oh,  how  my  poor  heart  trembled  and  ached 
within  me,  when  I  had  to  deliver  my  farewell  speech,  and 
bid  them  a  final  adieu.  I  had,  also,  to  pass  through  the 
trial  of  bidding  farewell  to  my  three  brothers,  and  one  only 
dear  sister ;  who  followed  me  to  the  door,  while  the  big 
tear  stood  in  her  full,  black  eye,  and  told,  too  plainly,  the 
feelings  of  her  affectionate  heart.  We  bid  each  other  fare- 
well ;  and  alas  !  it  was  a  long  and  final  farewell ;  as  she, 
soon  after,  was  called  to  swell  the  pale  nations  of  the  dead, 
and,  I  trust,  to  participate  in  the  joys  at  God's  right  hand. 
My  heart  has  ever  been  susceptible  of  deep  and  tender  affec- 
tions ;  and  hence,  it  was  a  great  and  painful  trial,  to  part 
with  all  my  kind  friends  and  dear  relatives,  with  a  strong 
probability  of  never  seeing  them  again.  But  the  resolution 
was  fixed  ;  and  sometime  in  February,  1826,  we  started  for 
Kentucky;  and,  after  a  rather  tedious  journey,  by  the  bles- 
sing of  God  arrived  in  safety  at  our  farm,  near  Sharpsburg, 
in  Bath  county,  about  the  last  of  April.  We  had  to  build 
houses  and  raise  a  crop,  by  the  first  of  September  ;  at  which 
time  I  had  to  attend  Conference,  and  receive  my  appoint- 
ment. Our  Conference  sat  in  Louisville ;  and,  soon  after 
my  introduction  among  the  preachers,  I  found  they  were  of 
the  same  kind  and  affable  disposition,  so  abundantly  mani- 
fest in  the  Conference  I  had  just  left ;  which  was  to  me  a 
matter  of  great  consolation.  My  appointment  was,  to  the 
city  of  Maysville  ;  and,  notwithstanding  I  found  kind  friends 
and  a  hearty  welcome,  as  I  had  to  leave  my  family  on  the 
farm,  which  was  about  forty  miles  distant  from  my  appoint* 


340  A  SKETCH   OF  THE 

ment,  1  had  a  hard  time  through  that  year.  My  custom  waS/ 
to  leave  home  on  Saturday  morning,  and  arrive  in  Mays- 
ville  that  night ;  and,  on  the  Monday  week  following,  ta 
start  again  for  home,  whether  wet  or  dry,  cold  or  hot.  And, 
as  in  addition  to  all  the  rest,  I  was  much  afflicted  with  the 
dyspepsia,  I  think  I  suffered  as  much  as  I  ever  did  in  any 
one  year  of  my  service :  but  the  Lord  gave  me  many  friends 
and  many  blessings,  which  more  than  repaid  me  for  all. 

When  in  the  city,  I  boarded  with  Johnson  Armstrong, 
John  Armstrong,  and  Peter  Grant ;  who,  with  their  fami- 
lies, were  exceedingly  kind  and  affectionate  towards  me. 
Johnson  Armstrong,  Peter  Grant,  his  beloved  sister,  and 
John  Armstrong,  all  of  beloved  memory— for  they  were 
truly  upright,  affectionate,  and  beloved  children  of  God — 
have  long  since  gone  to  their  home  in  heaven  ;  while  the 
most  of  the  rest  of  their  dear  families,  are  still  in  this 
world  of  trial,  and  have  to  endure  hardness  as  good  soldiers 
of  the  cross,  in  order  to  gain  the  crown  at  last.  May  the 
Lord  bless  them,  and  bring  them  all  safely  home  to  His 
everlasting  kingdom. 

I  found  the  whole  of  the  members  of  the  Church  exceed- 
ingly peaceable  and  kind;  and  consequently,  I  had  no  dif- 
ficulty, through  the  year,  in  the  administration  of  discipline. 

My  congregations  were  constantly  large.  I  had  good  lib- 
erty in  preaching  God's  holy  word;  our  meetings  in  private, 
as  well  as  public,  were  frequently  of  the  most  lively  and 
feeling  cast ;  which  plainly  manifested,  that  God  was  pres- 
ent with  us,  to  do  us  good.  Yet,  at  the  close  of  the  year, 
we  had  a  very  small  increase.  This  so  far  discouraged  my 
mind,  that  I  begged  to  be  released,  if  another  could  be 
found,  who  might,  likely,  serve  with  less  difficulty,  and  per- 
haps more  usefulness  ;  for  which  I  have  often  repented.. 
For  it  is  evident,  if  I  had  been  sent  back,  I  should  have  im- 
mediately seen  the  fruit  of  my  past  labors ;  for  while  we- 


AUTHOR'S    LIFE  341 

Were  at  Conference,  the  good  work  of  God  broke  out,  and 
soon  after  my  successor  took  charge  of  the  Church,  many 
precious  souls  were  gathered  into  the  fold  of  Christ,  who 
professed  to  be  awakened  and  deeply  concerned  for  their 
souls,  through  the  previous  year. 

In  1827,  I  was  stationed  in  the  city  of  Lexington  ;  and 
in  order  to  fill  it  with  the  greater  propriety,  and  with  more 
probable  success,  I  moved  my  family  to  the  city.  Brother 
E.  Stephenson,  who  immediately  preceded  me,  had  been 
blessed  with  a  glorious  revival,  and  left  the  good  work  still 
progressing.  It  viras  my  good  fortune  to  be  enabled,  through 
divine  grace,  to  step,  as  it  were,  directly  into  his  footsteps, 
and  to  see  the  heavenly  flame  rise  higher,  instead  of  fall. 
The  gracious  work  progressed,  most  delightfully,  until  the 
first  of  May,  when  I  had  to  leave,  for  our  General  Confer- 
ence, that  was  held  in  Pittsburgh.  It  was,  indeed,  pleasing, 
to  meet  with  so  many  of  my  old  friends.  But  we  had  not 
a  very  pleasant  Conference,  as  the  question  of  reform  was 
not  fully  settled, 

When  through  the  blessing  of  God,  I  returned  to  my  sta-^ 
tion,  I  found  it  was  not  altogether,  in  as  prosperous  condi- 
tion as  when  I  left ;  although  it  had  received  the  excellent 
services  of  my  much  beloved  brethren  Chipley  and  Cooper, 
local  ministers  belonging  to  the  station.  And  no  doubt  it 
would  have  been  much  the  same,  if  1  had  been  with  them  ; 
for  the  work  had  been  of  long  continuance,  and  preachers 
and  people  nearly  v^rorn  out.  It  was  not  long  hovVever,  till, 
we  were  refreshed  again  with  the  manifestations  of  divine 
goodness,  which  continued  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  dur- 
ing my  second,  as  well  as  the  remainder  of  my  first  year. 
In  beloved,  and  beautiful  Lexington,  we  found  many  kind 
and  hearty  friends,  as  well  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  as  out  of  it.  Among  others  I  frequently  attended 
the  familes  of  Mr.  Robert  WickliiFe,  whose  wife  I  found  to 


342  A  SKETCH  OF  THE. 

be  a  devoted  Christian  ;  and  the  widow  Morrison,  of  bles- 
sed memory,  whose  kind  husband  lefta  large  sum  of  money 
to  Transylvania  University,  for  the  laudable  purpose  of  pro- 
moting the  good  cause  of  education.  These  I  always 
found  ready  and  willing  for  prayer;  and  with  them,  I  had 
many  precious  seasons.  Of  many  precious  names  and  fami- 
lies, I  might  thus  make  mention,  but  time  would  fail.  How- 
ever, one  morelmust  mention, because  of  one  striking  pecu- 
larity,thefamily  of  my  kindand  worthy  friend  John  L.  Martin 
now  residing  inLouisville.  When  I  first  became  acquainted 
with  them,  they  appeared  to  be  amongst  the  most  healthy 
and  happy  families,  in,  or  near  the  city  of  Lexington.  They 
lived  in  one  of  the  most  lovely  situations,  and  dwellings,  to 
be  found  in  all  the  beautiful  country  surrounding  that  City. 
1  w^ith  my  beloved  companion  spent  many  happy  hours  with 
them.  But  alas,  one  after  another  sickened  and  died,  and 
for  the  most  part  I  had  to  visit,  and  bury  until  in  a  few  short 
years,  all  were  gone.  The  one,  the  next  to  the  last,  a  young 
and  beautiful  daughter  recently  married,  while  sinking  with 
a  pulmonary  affection,  sent  for  me  while  I  w^as  travelling 
the  Augusta  Distiict.  And  although  I  was  at  a  consider- 
able distance,  when  I  received  the  message,  1  hastened  im- 
mediately to  see  her.  She  was  one  of  a  lovely  band  of 
daughters,  who  appeared  to  feel  as  much  affection  for  me 
and  mine,  as  if  they  had  been  my  own  dear  children;  and 
consequently,  I  loved  them  much.  And  true  it  is  that  love 
gives  us  hinds'  feet,  and  knows  no  difficulty  too  hard  to  be 
overcame.  I  moved  swiftly  to  see  my  precious  young 
friend ,  and  never  shall  forget  on  entering  her  room,  her 
appearance ;  her  beautiful  black  eye,  that  swam  in  tears, 
and  the  bloom  on  her  cheek,  that  while  for  the  moment,  it 
made  loveliness  appear  the  more  lovely,  too  plainly  in- 
dicated that  dissolution  was  drawing  nigh.  No  I  never  shall 
forget  her  steadfast  look,  while  she  said  with  much  earnest- 


AUTHOR'S     LIFE  343 

-ness,  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  I  would  rather  see  you,  than  any 
one  upon  earth.  For  some  time  I  could  say  but  little  ;  but 
•before  we  parted,  we  had  alongtalk  about  her  state  of  mind 
and  future  prospects,  and  I  have  good  ground  to  hope  that 
she  has  made  her  escape  to  the  Paradise  of  God.  The  rest 
of  the  little  band  were  composed  of  Eloiza  Chipley,  Sarah 
Satterwhite,  and  Mary  Blanchard  ;  all  of  whom  have  long 
since  gone,  with  their  lovely  companion  Charlotte  Martin, 
afterwards  Richards,  to  people  the  pale  nations  of  the  dead. 
How  strange  are  the  ways  of  providence  !  All  these,  when 
I  first  knew  them,  were  healthy,  blooming  children — oi  ra- 
ther young  women — to  all  appearance,  as  likely  to  live 
long,  as  any  perhaps  that  could  be  found.  But  the  Lord, 
whose  they  were,  and  whom  they  served,  has  seen  good  to 
take  them  all  to  himself,  and  shut  them  in,  I  trust,  far  be- 
yond the  reach  of  sorrow,  pain,  and  death. 

I  was  called  to  witness  the  last  moments,  and  dying  ago- 
nies of  several,  during  my  time  in  Lexington;  but  one 
among  them,  was  the  most  remarkable  of  all.  It  was  a 
daughter  of  good  mother  Hull,  who  herself  was  noted  for 
piety.  She  at  first  it  would  appear  had  not  thought  of  dy- 
ing, and  when  told  she  must  die,  although  she  had  been,  no 
doubt,  a  sincere  christian,  she  became  greatly  alarmed. 
But  sometime  before  her  departure,  she  obtained  a  great 
blessing.  Her  evidence  was  bright  and  clear,  and  she 
praised  God  with  expressions  the  most  feeling  and  pow_ 
erful,  to  her  latest  breath.  But  what  was  most  peculiar 
was,  every  one  that  came  into  the  room,  appeard  to  partake 
of  the  gracious,  divine  influence  that  surrounded  her;  so 
that  they  were  constrained  to  unite  with  her  in  praising 
God,  for  his  infinite  goodness.  Truly,  heaven  appeared  to 
be  near.  Oh,  how  calm,  peaceful,  and  happy,  all  appeared 
to  be  while  she  was  sinking  into  the  arms  of  Jesus.  Indeed 
such  was  the  heavenly  scene,  that  no  human  language  can 


344  A  SKETCtr  OF  THE 

possibly  describe  it,  How  true  it  is,  "  blessed  are  the  dead 
that  die  in  the  Lord." 

It  was  my  happy  lot  to  receive  a  large  number  of  souls, 
coloured  as  well  as  white  into  the  bosom  of  the  church  of 
God  during  my  two  years,  labour  in  the  city  of  Lexington, 
And  the  case  of  one  of  them  was  so  remarkable  that  I  have 
often  mentioned  it  for  the  encouragement  of  others.  One 
day  immediately  after  preaching,  I  came  down  in  the  altar ; 
and  while  the  house  was  crowded  with  serious  and  atten- 
tive hearers,  I  opened  the  way  to  receive  such  as  might  de- 
sire it,  into  the  church.  Dr.  Saterwhite,  who  had  been  sit- 
ting near  the  door,  lose  up,  and  came  forward,  and  gave  me 
his  hand  ;  so  much  to  the  astonishment  of  all  present,  that 
nearly  the  whole  congregation  rose  up :  and  our  meeting 
closed  with  songs  of  salvation  to  God  and  the  Lamb.  The 
next  day  he  told  me,  that  when  he  did  so,  he  did  not  feel  as 
much  as  he  had  frequently  felt,  but  it  came  into  his  mind, 
that  he  had  often  thought  of  setting  out  for  heaven,  and 
that  there  must  be  a  beginning,  and  that  he  had  as  well 
start  then  as  at  any  other  time.  And  while  he  was  telling 
me,  although  he  complained  of  the  want  of  feeling,  the 
tears  were  running  down  his  manly  cheeks  ;  and  it  was  not 
more  than  about  three  weeks,  till  the  Lord  granted  him  re- 
pentance unto  life  :  he  made  a  good  and  useful  member  as 
long  as  he  lived.  And  no  doubt  the  church  especially,  as 
well  as  the  community  in  general,  lamented  greatly  his  trag- 
ical, and  early  death.  He  has  left  behind  him,  one  affec- 
tionate sister,  and  two  dear  children,  who,  no  doubt,  greatly 
feel  their  loss. 

Lexington  station  contains  many  worthy  members  of  the 
church  of  Christ;  one  among  them  that  now  occurs  to  my 
mind  I  will  mention,  because  of  her  undeniable,  and  useful 
christian  course.  When  she  came  to  reside  in  that  city, 
she  was  young,  handsome,  and   wealthy  ;  and  might  have 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  345 

turned  to  the  gay  world,  and  enjoyed  all  that  eaith  could 
give.  But,  instead  of  doing  so,  although  the  Methodists 
were  few,  poor  and  despised,  she  cast  in  her  lot  with  them, 
and  has  continued  faithful  until  this  day,  bearing  the 
cross,  enduring  the  shame,  and  counting  all  things  but  losSj 
so  she  may  win  Christ.  She  has  now  become  a  mother  in 
Israel ;  and  who  can  tell  the  good  that  she  has  done,  in 
throwing  the  weight  of  her  influence  in  the  scale  of  relig- 
ion? She  has  lived  to  see  the  church  flourish  gloriously; 
no  doubt  to  her  great  joy.  Her  husband,  although  not  a 
member,  is  kind  and  liberal  towards  the  church.  His  fine 
and  lovely  dwelling,  has  long  been  a  resting  place  for  the 
weary  ministers  of  the  cross  of  Christ ;  and  it  plainly  ap^ 
pears,  that  it  gives  him  great  pleasure  to  see  them,  and  do 
them  good.  And  as  the  Lord  has  said,  he  that  giveth  a  cup 
of  cold  water  to  a  disciple  in  his  name,  shall  not  lose  his 
reward,  we  can  but  hope  and  believe,  he  will  yet  be  brought 
in,  to  share  here  ^ith  his  faithful  companion,  the  holy  joys 
of  salvation;  and  that  they  will  receive  their  reward  together, 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  There  are  some  families  there, 
for  which  we  formed  an  attachment,  because  of  their  pecu- 
liar manifestations  of  kindness,  that  never  will  be  broken 
oif,  till  the  lamp  of  life  shall  cease  to  burn.  Oh,  Lexing- 
ton, beautiful  Lexington,  with  all  your  faults  we  love  you 
still. 

In  1829,  and  1830,  it  was  my  lot  to  be  stationed  in  the 
pleasant  little  village  called  Mount  Sterling.  I  moved  my 
family  to  our  farm,  which  was  about  nine  miles  off,  and  reg- 
ularly served  my  station,  nearly  every  sabbath.  But,  al- 
though my  family  was  so  near,  I  found  it  was  not  so  good, 
as  to  be  every  day  inthe  midst  of  the  people  I  had  to  serve; 
and  to  this  circumstance,  I  must  attribute  in  some  mea^ 
sure,  that  want  of  success,  experienced  in  almost  every  oth-^ 
er  place.  The  people  were  kind,  the  congregation  for  the 
44 


346  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

place,  large,  enlightened,  and  attentive ;  our  meetings  gei'i'-' 
erally  promising  and  good,  but  after  all  the  efforts  I  could 
make,  and  all  the  excellent  help  I  frequently  had,  from  cas- 
ual visiters,  and  neighboring  camp-meetings,  our  increase, 
at  the  close  of  the  two  years,  v^^as  but  small.  Upon  the 
whole,  I  had  a  happy  time  among  that  affectionate  people  p 
and  left  them  in  the  enjoyment  of  some  prosperity  and 
great  peace. 

In  the  fall  of  1831,  I  was  appointed  to  serve  Cynthiana, 
which  was  about  twenty  five  miles  from  my  home  ;  and  as 
the  ensuing  winter  was  very  cold,  I  suffered  much  in  the 
performance  of  my  duty.  It  was  near  that  place,  I  found 
living  the  venerable  Leroy  Cole,  with  his  devoted  and  ami- 
able companion,  who  had  through  his  peculiar  request, 
been  stationed  with  me,  my  first  year  in  Lexington;  which 
should  have  been  mentioned  before.  The  reason  why  he 
made  the  request',  when  he  was  now  trembling  over  the 
grave,  was  set  forth  by  him,  in  the  followjng  figure.  Breth- 
ren, said  he,  I  had  once  a  pair  of  oxen  that  lived  to  be  very 
old,  and  when  they  could  work  no  more,  having  been  so 
long  accustomed  to  the  yoke,  they  would  go  every  day  to 
the  last,and  place  themselves,  as  though  they  were  about  to 
be  yoked  up;  and  there  they  would  stand  by  the  cart.  At 
length  one  died,  and  then  the  one  that  was  left  behind 
would  go  daily,  and  stand  by  the  cart.  Brethren,  said  he>, 
I  am  now  old,  and  cannot  work  much;  but  still,  I  want  to 
stand  by  the  cart.  He  was  an  excellent  man  ;  and  in  his 
happy  death,  in  all  probability,  was  the  means  of  the  con- 
version of  one  of  his  sceptical  neighbors.  His  widow,  I 
suppose  is  still  alive,  and  truly  a  mother  in  Israel,  and  her 
house  a  home,  as  it  has  been  for  many  years,  for  the  way- 
worn minister  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

When  in  my  station,!  boarded  with  my  worthy  friend  As- 
bury  Broadwell,  who  by  his  own  request  received,  and  en- 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  347 

tertained  me,  free  of  all  expense  to  the  church.  His  ami- 
able wife  was  a  member  of  the  church;  and  they  seemed 
to  try,  by  every  possible  means,  to  make  me  comfortable 
and  happy,  while  under  their  hospitable  roof.  May  the 
Lord  reward  them,  for  their  kindness  to  his  unworthy  ser- 
vant. My  good  sister  Broadwell  has  been  ever  since, 
among  my  few  female  correspondents  ;  and  did  she  know 
how  highly  I  prize  her  letters,  she  would,  possibly,  write  of- 
t«ner  than  she  does. 

The  church  was  composed  of  many  of  the  most  respecta- 
ble citizens,  in  and  around  Cynthianna,  and  Methodism  ap- 
peared to  be  in  good  repute,  among  the  people  generally. 
But,  notwithstanding  the  church  was  crowded  frequently, 
with  attentive  hearers,  our  success  was  not  as  great,  as 
might  have  been  expected.  It  is  true  the  Lord  was  good 
to  us,  so  that  we  had  many  happy  seasons,  and  some  in- 
crease in  the  church  of  God.  In  one  thing,  I  had  to  re- 
joice, i.  e.  we  appeared  to  live  in  peace  with  God  and  all 
mankind. 

Sometime  in  April,  T  had  to  leave  my  station  for  the 
General  Conference  that  held  its  session  in  Philadelphia; 
and  several  times  on  my  journey,  1  was  greatly  alarmed,  by 
the  carelessness  and  racing  of  drunken  drivers  ;  but  the 
Lord  in  mercy  brought  me  safely  through.  At  this  Confer- 
ence, we  elected,  and  ordained  brothers  Emory  and  An- 
drews, to  fill  the  sacred  office  of  Bishops  ;  one  of  whom 
long  since  met  with  a  violent  death,  to  the  great  loss  and  af- 
fliction of  the  Church.  He  was,  truly,  a  great  and  good 
man  ;  and  no  doubt,  has  gone  to  participate  in  the  joys  at 
God's  right  hand. 

Inasmuch  as  the  temporal,  and  spiritual  concerns  of  the 
Church  throughout  the  whole  continent  come  up,  in  a  con- 
siderable degree,  before  the  General  Conference,  we  may  al- 
ways expect  some  hard  cases.     But,  at  this  Conference,  we 


348  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

had  upon  the  whole,  a  harmonious  and  peaceful  season, 
and  all  things  were  done  decently,  and  in  order ;  and  after 
a  session  of  about  four  weeks  we  parted,  many  of  us  to 
meet  no  more  till  the  judgment  of  the  Great  Day.  On  my 
journey  home,  I  was  again  several  times, greatly  alarmed  in 
the  stage.  At  one  time,  the  hook  in  front  of  the  tongue 
gave  way,  and  the  swingle-trees  fell  upon  the  horses' 
heels.  This  caused  them  immediately  to  turn  in  towards 
the  stage,  which  greatly  alarmed  the  driver,  who  lost 
his  command  of  them.  At  another  time,  in  coming  up  the 
mountain,  by  the  side  of  the  Juniata  river,  in  the  night,  I 
thought  the  driver  was  asleep,as  the  stage  appeared  to  stop; 
I  looked  out,  and  found  we  were  on  the  brink  of  a  tremen- 
dous precipice.  I  spoke  to  the  driver,  and  asked  him,  if 
we  were  not  in  danger.  He  said  no  ;  cracked  his  whip  and 
went  on,  I  looked  forward  and  saw  the  ground  had  broken  oif 
in  several  places,  and  presently  in  went  the  wheels.  It 
was  truly  a  frightful  time,  but  through  mercy  we  did  not  go 
over;  and  I  was  brought  again  in  safety  to  my  desired 
home  and  station;  for  which  1  have  gieat  reason  to  bless 
and  praise  God. 

At  the  close  of  this  conference  year,  I  was  gieatly  exer- 
cised once  more,  about  locating.  It  appeared  to  me,  that 
1  had  served  as  long  as  I  could  in  my  peculiar  circumstan- 
ces ;  and  1  thought,  I  had  better  stop,  and  take  care  of  my 
own  family.  I  tried  to  weigh  the  matter  as  well  as  I  could; 
and  thought  my  mind  made  up  now  to  locate.  1  took  my 
pen  to  write  to  the  ensuing  Conference,  to  bid  a  respectful 
farewell  to  my  brethren,  and  to  request  theii  acquiescence 
in  my  determination.  But,  when  1  came  to  a  certain  point 
my  heart  failed  me,  and  1  laid  it  by  for  the  present.  I 
thought  I  was  calm,  composed  and  righteously  determined. 
But  that  night  1  began  to  weigh  the  matter  again,  and  be- 
came so  agitated,  that  I  slept  but  little  through  the  whole 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  349 

night.  In  the  morning  I  told  my  wife,  and  said  I  thought, 
I  would  go  to  Conference,  and  see  if  they  had  anything  I 
could  do;  and  if  they  had  not  I  would  then  locate.  She 
agreed  with  me,  that  in  all  probability,  that  would  be  best ; 
but  pursuaded  not  to  accept  the  office  of  Presiding  Elder.  I 
assured  hei  she  need  not  fear,  for  if  they  had  nothing  else 
for  me,  I  should  be  sure  to  locate."  I  went,  and  lo  !  I  came 
home  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Augusta  District.  1  had  ev- 
er felt  an  objection  to  taking  that  laborious,  unthankful,  and 
responsible  office  ;  but  1  was  overruled  by  my  good  and 
much  beloved  brother  Corwine,  who  had  just  filled  his  four 
years  on  that  District.  My  wife  who  with  all  her  wish  for 
me  to  keep  on,  wept,  but  it  was  no  use  ;  I  was  then  the 
Presiding  Elder,  and  must,  if  possible,  fulfill  my  course. 

This  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1832,  and  I  continued  on 
the  district  three  years.  It  was  large,  embracing  the  coun- 
try from  Augusta  to  the  mouth  of  Big  Sandy;  up  Big  Sandy 
to  Pike  county,  and  thence  across  the  country  to  OwergS' 
villa,  Paris,  and  again  to  Augusta.  Hence,  I  was  fre- 
quently worn  dowa  with  long  and  tedious  journeys;  but  I 
often  felt  repaid,  in  meeting  the  preachers  at  their  Quar- 
terly Meetings  ;  where  we  would  be  together  for  several 
days,  in  the  mutual  enjoyment  of  the  privileges  and  immu- 
nities of  God's  house. 

At  many  places,  especially  in  the  mountains,  we  had  gra- 
cious revivals  of  religion  ;  at  which  seasons,  many  precious 
souls  were  brought  to  the  experience  of  a  good  hope,'through 
grace.  The  people  where  I  stopped,  were  kind,  and  appeared 
to  take  pleasure  in  doing  for  me  whatever  they  thought 
would  make  me  comfortable.  I  found,  in  my  travels,  one 
peculiar  case  of  affliction.  It  was  that  of  an  aged  man,  by 
the  name  of  Prather,  who  had  suffered  so  much  with  the 
inflammatory  rheumatism,  that  he  was  so  stiffened,  from  his 
head  to  his  feet,  as  to  be  unable  to  bend  a  joint  in  his  body, 


350  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

except  his  fingers.  He  lay  propped  in  his  bed  like  a  piece 
of  marble,  and  entirely  unable  to  move.  And,  in  addition 
to  this,  he  was  stone  blind.  He  appeared  to  be  a  man  of 
good  sense;  and,  in  conversing  with  him,  he  told  me  he 
had  been,  for  a  long  time,  perfectly  easy,  but  had  been  in 
the  condition  in  which  I  found  him,  for  about  twelve  or 
thirteen  years.  He  lived  not  far  from  the  Burning  Spring, 
in  the  mountains,  on  the  road  from  Owingsville  to  Pres- 
ternsburgh.  How  wonderful  the  ways  of  Providence  are, 
with  the  children  of  men. 

At  the  close  of  my  three  years'  labor  on  "this  district,  in 
1835,  I  attended  our  Conference,  held  in  ShelbyviUe  ;  and, 
after  a  considerable  degree  of  difficulty  and  labor,  in  assist- 
ing the  Bishop  and  Presiding  Elders  in  stationing  the 
pieacheis  for  the  ensuing  year,  it  was  pronounced,  on  all 
hands,  as  well  done.  I  had  made  several  delicate  hints  to 
get  clear  of  my  old  district ;  but  they  appeared  to  be  unno- 
ticed, and  I  was  expected  to  go  back  again.  The  next 
morning,  when  w^e  met  to  close  our  business  and  receive 
our  appointments.  Bishop  Andrews  sent  me  word  to  take 
his  place,  and  preside  in  the  Conference  until  he  should  be 
ready  to  come  in.  I  did  so ;  little  suspecting  what  was 
going  on.  After  some  time,  he  came  in  ;  and  all  things 
being  prepared,  he  began  to  read  out  our  appointments.  I 
soon  found,  to  my  astonishment,  I  was  left  off  my  old  dis- 
trict ;  and,  for  a  long  time,  could  not  conceive  what  he  had 
done  with  me  ;  till  at  length  my  name  came  out  for  Mount- 
Sterling  station.  It  is  true,  I  was  much  surprised  at  the 
change  the  Bishop  had  made  that  morning.  But  it  was  a 
good  one  for  me  ;  and  I  said  nothing  about  it,  but  went  on 
to  it,  putting  my  trust  in  Him  who  does  all  things  well. 

Although  there  had  been  considerable  difficulty  in  suiting 
that  station,  and  I  had  been  with  them,  already,  two  years, 
I  was  gladly  received  ;  and  it  turned  out  to  be  one  of  my 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  331 

most  happy  years  in  that  place.  The  people  not  only  came 
out  to  hear  me  when  I  preached,  but  they  appeared  to  do 
every  thing  in  their  power  to  encourage  me  in  my  labors. 
More  respectful  congregation,  1  think  I  never  served ;  for 
scarcely  did  a  living  soul  stir  from  his  seat,  at  any  time  du- 
ring divine  service.  And  the  best  of  all  was,  the  blessing 
of  the  Lord,  in  a  good  degree,  appeared  to  attend  our  labors. 

I  think  it  was  in  the  course  of  this  conference  year,  that 
my  old  and  much  esteemed  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard, 
were  greatly  afflicted  in  their  family.  Their  eldest  son,  a 
very  sprightly  and  fine  young  man — if  I  recollect  right,  be, 
tween  twenty  and  thirty  years  of  age— was,  after  a  few  days' 
illness,  called  away  from  time  to  eternity.  I  was  sent  for 
to  preach  his  funeral  sermon  ;  and  truly  I  found  an  afflicted 
family.  My  kind  friend,  Mrs.  Howard,  told  me,  with  much 
feeling,  that  she  had  raised  a  considerable  family  of  chil. 
dren  ;  they  had  been  greatly  blessed  with  health  and  pros- 
perity, and  this  was  the  first  break  in  their  ranks ;  and  as  it 
was  their  first-born  son,  it  went  very  hard  with  her. 

But,  some  time  after,  they  were  called  to  suffer  the  loss 
of  another  beloved  son.  He  was  not  yet  twenty-one  years 
of  age  ;  but  well  grown  and  of  fine  promise.  He  fell  into  a 
pulmonary  affection,  and  lingered  long,  before  the  closing 
scene  ;  which  was  truly  one  of  the  most  trying  I  ever  saw. 
On  the  day  of  his  death,  I  was  sent  for,  at  his  request;  and 
when  I  went  to  him,  to  the  great  joy  of  all  his  friends  pres- 
ent, he  requested  me  to  pray  for  him.  I  had  to  stay  with 
him  through  the  day,  and  frequently  pray  with  him.  He 
several  times  appeared  to  sink,  as  if  his  last  moment  had 
come,  and  then  he  would  revive  again,  until  he  seemed, 
himself,  to  be  disappointed,  and  said,  Ah,  I  cannot  die. 
On  recovering  from  such  spells,  he  would,  almost  always, 
send  for  his  mother ;  who  would  come,  and  show  the  tender 
mother's  feeling  heart   to  a  dying  son,   in  such  a  degree, 


352  A  SKETCti  OF  THE 

while  his  dying  arms  were  thrown  around  her  neck,  that  at 
last  it  became  to  me,  almost  insupportable,  and  I  had  to 
walk  the  yard,  in  the  open  air,  to  get  my  strength  revived. 
At  length,  about  night,  he  was  moved,  that  his  bed  might 
be  made  more  comfortable;  and  while  this  was  going  on, 
he  called  his  father  and  mother,  and  all  his  dear  sisters  and 
brothers  to  him,  and  bade  them  an  affectionate  farewell; 
and  then,  while  in  the  act  of  removing  to  his  bed  again,  he 
sank  off,  as  into  a  sweet  sleep,  without  a  sigh  or  groan,  to 
wake  no  more,  till  the  morning  of  the  resurrection.  Soon 
after  our  first  prayer,  he  professed  to  receive  comfort ;  and 
I  trust  he  Was  taken  from  the  evil  to  come,  and  lodged 
safely  in  the  paradise  of  God.  Never  did  I  see  a  more  af- 
flicted family,  and  never  did  I  feel  more  for  one,  than  I  did 
for  this.  But,  at  the  close  of  my  third  year  in  Mount- 
Sterling,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  leaving  my  kind  friends  in 
peace  and  harmony  among  themselves  ;  and,  as  far  as  I 
know,  with  all  mankind.  And-  may  the  Lord  keep  their 
hearts  and  minds  in  peace,  through  Christ  Jesus. 

In  the  fall  of  1826,  I  was  appointed  to  Lexington  district; 
where  I  travelled  but  one  year,  on  account  of  my  health 
failing,  to  a  considerable  extent.  My  journeys  were 
frequently  long,  on  account  of  my  living  at  some  distance 
from  my  work.  The  winter  weather  was  such  as  to  render 
travelling  very  difficult ;  and,  as  it  was  my  custom  to  go 
wherever  duty  called,  i  was  frequently  much  exposed,  so 
that  I  often  took  cold,  and  became  so  much  diseased,  that  it 
was  thought  dangerous  to  continue  me  on  the  district  ano- 
ther year.  Hence,  I  was  released  at  the  close  of  the  year. 
Our  Quarterly  Meetings  were  frequently  good,  aad  we  had 
some  increase  in  our  number;  but  nothing  very  special, 
that  1  can  now  recollect. 

In  1827,  our  Conference  was  held  in  the  city  of  Frankfort : 
where  we  were  entertained  in  the  kindest  manner,  by  the 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  353 

citizens  in  general,  and  had  the  use  of  the  splendid  State 
House,  for  the  transaction  of  business ;  and,  as  our  venerable 
Bishop  Roberts,  was  entertained  by  the  Governor  of  the 
State,  we  had  the  use  of  his  house  to  station  the  preachers 
in.  I  was  so  much  indisposed,  during  the  session  of  the 
Conference,  that  I  could  with  difficulty  attend  to  business  ; 
but,  through  mercy,  was  preserved  from  any  thing  like  a  hard 
spell  of  sickness. 

When  the  appointments  were  read  out,  I  found  it  was  m^ 
lot  to  be  stationed  in  the  city  of  Louisville.  And,  in  order 
to  serve  it,  I  found  it  necessary  for  me  to  make  a  conside- 
rable sacrifice.  I  had  to  break  up  my  establishment  in 
Sharpsburg,  and  move  my  family :  but  no  sacrifice  can  be 
too  great,  in  such  a  good  cause.  I  found,  on  my  arrival  in 
that  city,  that  my  friends  had  made  provision  for  me ;  and 
they  gave  me  a  hearty  reception.  This  year,  I  had  brother 
John  C.  Harrison  for  my  colleague  ;  but  the  next  year,  I 
was  sent  back  alone.  However,  it  was  not  long  till  Brother 
J.  N.  Maffit  came  to  my  assistance  ;  and  he  labored  most  in- 
cessantly, for  the  most  of  the  year,  and  with  great  success. 
Although  Louisville  is,  I  think,  one  of  the  most  healthy 
cities  in  the  West,  and  my  family  lived  in  the  most  healthy 
part  of  it,  we  bad  considerable  affliction  during  our  stay. 
While  my  wife,  children,  and  servants  shared  in  it,  (not, 
however,  from  any  thing  peculiar  to  the  place,  but  in  the 
course  of  an  ordinary  providence,)  I  was  strangely  afflicted 
in  my  throat  and  breast:  which  originated,  I  suppose,  in  the 
exposure  I  had  passed  through,  in  serving  other  places.  My 
breast  and  throat  were  not  sore,  and  I  could  speak  nearly  as 
loud  as  ever ;  but  in  speaking  a  few  minutes,  an  unaccount- 
able obstruction  would  take  place  in  my  throat,  and  cause 
so  much  difficulty  in  speaking,  that  I  could  not  possibly 
]f)reach  as  I  had  formerly  done.  This  lasted  until  the  spring 
of  my  second  year,  when  I  was  suddenly  and  unaccounta-' 
45 


354  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

})ly  relieved;  and  thus  enabled  to  labor  with  ease  and  plea-* 
sure,  the  remainder  of  my  time.  Indeed,  such  had  been 
my  affliction,  that  I  know  not  how  I  should  have  done,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  good  and  efficient  aid  of  my  worthy 
brethren,  Hariison  and  Maffit.  We  had,  in  the  course  of 
the  two  years,  a  great  and  glorious  revival  of  religion  ;  which 
resulted  in  a  large  and  valuable  acquisition  to  the  church. 
And  this  must  be  attributed  mainly  to  their  labors  ;  espe- 
cially to  those  of  my  good  brother  Maffit,  under  the  blessing 
of  Almighty  God.  One  thing  is  certain,  those  who  know 
brother  Maffit  best,  and  have^the  opportunity  of  hearing  him 
longest,  love  him  most,  and  think  best  of  his  talents,  labors, 
and  the  revivals  that  so  generally  attend  them.  Truly  he 
was  made  a  great  blessing  to  Louisville;  as  many  can  tes- 
tify, even  to  this  day. 

We  found  many  precious  friends  in  Louisville,  during 
our  stay — not  only  in,  but  out  of  the  Church — whose  acts 
of  kindness  laid  us  under  great  obligations  ;  and,  as  we 
can  never  hope  to  repay  them  here,  we  trust  they  will  re- 
ceive  their  reward,  when  the  Good  Shepherd  shall  appear, 
to  render  unto  every  man  according  as  his  works  have  been^. 
May  the  Lord  bless  Louisville. 

In  1839,  our  Conference  was  held  in  Russleville,  a  very 
pleasant  village  in  the  Green  River  country ;  where  we 
found  kind  friends,  and  had  a  very  peaceful  session.  My 
time  being  out  at  Louisville,  according  to  our  Discipline,  I 
had  to  be  removed  ;  which  is  always  a  matter  of  great  anxi^ 
ety  to  us,  who  know  not  where  we  are  to  go,  or  how  we  may 
be  received.  But  the  Lord  is  always  better  to  us  than  all 
our  fears.  I  was  sent  to  Shelbyville  ;  one  of  the  most  plea- 
sant and  enlightened  villages,  and  one  of  the  most  comfort- 
able stations,  in  the  bounds  of  Kentucky  Conference. 

I  entered  upon  my  work  with  fear  and  trembling,  as  I 
had  understood  that  the  Church  at  that  place  had  petitioned 


AUTHOR'S    LIFE  355 

for  some  of  their  favoiite  preachers;  and  as  they  could  not 
be  sent  to  them,  I  was  afraid  I  might  not  give  satisfaction. 
However,  I  soon  found  that  all  my  fears  were  vain  ;  for  a 
more  kind  reception  I  hardly  ever  met  with,  or  enjoyed  a 
more  pleasant  and  profitable  season  in  any  other  place  I 
had  ever  served.  Shelbyville  is,  in  itself  a  pleasant  village; 
not  only  because  of  its  situation,  but  especially  because  of 
the  peculiar  character  of  its  inhabitants.  A  more  enlight- 
ened and  religious  people,  can  scarcely  be  found,  in  any 
town,  small  or'  great.  And  this  cannot  be  wondered  at, 
when  it  is  so  justly  celebrated  for  the  best  of  female  schools. 
It  is  true,  it  has  other  good  schools,  and  a  college,  belong- 
ing to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church ;  all  of  which  are 
doing  good,  and  adding  greatly  to  the  importance  of  the 
place.  But  there  is  nothing  that  gives  Shelbyville  so  much 
moral  and  religious  worth,  as  its  most  excellent  female  in- 
stitutions of  learning  ;  except  the  holy  gospel  that  is  sta- 
tedly preached  in  her  goodly  number  of  houses  of  worship. 
These  fine  things  we  look  for,  in  a  splendid  large  city,  like 
Louisville;  and  hence,  we  never  think  of  mentioning  them 
when  found  in  such  places.  But,  as  it  is  rare  to  find  a  vil- 
lage so  abundantly  blessed  as  Shelbyville,  we  think  it  is  a 
proper  subject  of  remark. 

Through  this  year,  my  congregations  were  uniformly 
good ;  and  we  had  a  good  degree  of  peace  and  prosperity, 
through  the  efficient  aid  of  my  worthy  Brother  Tevis,  who 
resides  in  the  place,  and  has  the  special  superintendence  of 
the  principal  female  academy  ;  while  his  highly  talented 
companion  attends,  principally,  to  the  literary  and  scientific 
departments.  My  family  resided  in  the  spacious  dwelling 
of  brother  McHenry ;  where  w^e  had  every  thing  necessary 
to  make  us  comfortable  and  happy.  And  truly  the  Lord 
was  good  to  us  in  every  way ;  for  which  I  desire  to  praise 
His  holy  name. 


356  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

In  1840,  I  was  sent  back  again ;  with  the  full  under- 
standing, that  it  was  the  wish  of  my  kind  friends  of  the 
station  that  I  should  return.  Hence,  I  entered  again  upon 
my  work,  in  a  very  diiferent  state  of  mind  to  that  with  which 
I  commenced  it.  My  congregations  remained  as  full, 
throughout  this  year,  as  they  had  been  during  the  one  previ- 
ous, and  our  prosperity,  I  think,  was  about  the  same.  One 
thing,  among  many  others,  that  greatly  rejoiced  my  heart, 
was,  that  all  the  churches  not  only  lived  in  peace  together, 
during  my  sojourn  there,  but  appeared  to  love,  and  be  ready 
to  help  one  another.  This  state  of  things  must  ever  pre- 
vail, among  every  truly  enlightened  and  religious  commu- 
nity. "How  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is,  for  brethren  to 
dwell  together  in  unity." 

At  the  close  of  this  year,  I  had  to  bid  farewell  to  beloved 
Shelbyville  ;  and  as  my  temporal  circumstances  had  be- 
come somewhat  deranged,  for  want  of  proper  attention,  and 
otherwise,  I  though  it  my  duty,  in  relation  to  my  large  fam- 
ily, to  retire  measurably  from  the  regular  work,  in  which  I 
had  been  engaged  for  thirty  two  years.  I  accordingly  ask- 
ed the  favour  of  my  brethren  at  their  Conference  held  in  the 
city  of  Maysville,  to  leave  me  without  an  appointment  for 
the  ensuing  year ;  which  was  readily  granted.  I  therefore, 
in  September  in  1841,  removed  my  family  to  Millport,  in 
Muhlenburg  County,  where  we  now  reside.  At  our  first 
arrival,  we  were  much  pleased  with  our  farm,  country,  and 
neighbors  ;  and  had  good  health  in  general,  until  some 
time  in  July  1842,  when  we  became  somewhat  sickly  and 
had  the  great  misfortune,  to  lose  our  beloved  daughter  Ann 
Eliza  Widney.  At  first  we  apprehended  no  danger ;  but 
her  disease  progressed  in  such  an  insidious  way,  that  she 
was  past  recovery  before  oui  fears  were  much  excited.  Her 
loss  was  a  great  and  irreparable  one ;  as  she  was  a^wife, 
and  mother  of  three  dear  little  children,  two  daughters,  and 


AUTHOR'S    LIFE  357 

one  son,  an  infant  about  six  months  old.  She  was  a  dear 
child,  who  most  sincerely  loved  her  parents,  as  well  as  her 
own  dear  little  family  ;  and  in  return,  was  much  beloved 
herself.  It  was  indeed  a  strange  and  afflictive  providence  ; 
but  the  Lord  does  all  things  well,  and  we  would  kiss  the 
rod  and  adore  him  that  sent  it. 

We  had  been  located  on  a  low,  and  as  far  as  we  could 
learn,  a  sickly  part  of  the  farm  ;  but  have  now  removed  to  a 
more  elevated,  and  we  hope  a  more  healthy  situation,  and 
trust  by  the  blessing  of  God  to  share  with  our  neighbors, 
that  general  good  health,  that  mostly  belongs  to  this  part  of 
the  country.  I  know  it  has  been  thought,  that  the  Green 
River  country  has  been  generally  sickly,  and  hence  it  has 
been  greatly  overlooked.  But  1  am  happy  to  find  that  it  is 
a  great  mistake,  and  that  it  is,  with  a  few  exceptions,  as 
healthy  as  almost  any  other  part  of  the  country,  with  which 
I  have  been  acquainted. 

At  our  Conference  in  1842,  held  in  the  city  of  Lexing- 
ton, as  I  was  still  unable  through  my  pecuniary  circum- 
stances to  take  regular  work,  I  was  appointed  by  my  kind 
brethren,  as  supernumerary  to  Greenville  circuit,  in  which 
I  reside;  having  my  good  brother  Turner  in  charge  of  the 
church.  I  make  it  my  business  to  do  all  I  can,  but  I  feel^ 
as  one  confined  in  prison.  When  I  go,  and  labour  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  Lord,  my  soul  still  feels  the  old  missionary 
flame  :  and  I  long,  and  pray  for  the  time,  when  I  shall  be 
free  again.  I  think  I  can  truly  say,  I  had  rather  be  an  itin- 
erant Methodist  preacher,  and  be  at  full  liberty  to  do  my 
Master's  work,  than  to  have  all  that  earth  can  give,  and  be 
bereft  of  this  privilege.  In  this  I  feel  at  home,  and  happy 
as  I  cannot  feel  in  any  thing  else. Oh,  that  the  Lord  in  his 
kind  providence  may  soon  enable  me  to  enter  fully  upon 
)iis  good  work  again. 
I  am  now  a  few  days  more    than  sixty  years     of  age  ; 


358  ASKETCHOFTHS 

have  been  thirty  four  years,  and'upwards,  in  the  travelling 
connection;  thirty  two  of  which,  1  have  spent,  through  the 
kind  providence  of  God,  in  the  regular  work,  without  any 
thing  to  hinder  me  from  filling  my  appointments.  And 
now  I  know  but  little,  of  the  infirmities  of  old  age,  enjoy- 
ing good  health  and  strength;  so  that  were  I  at  liberty,  I 
I  could  do  as  much,  I  think  or  nearly,  as  ever  I  did, 
at  any  time  of  my  past  life.  And  this  adds,  greatly 
to  my  anxiety  to  be  engaged  fully,  in  my  Master's 
cause.  In  looking  back  upon  my  past  life,  I  regret  not, 
that  I  have  spent  the  prime,  and  most  of  my  days,  as  an  it- 
inerant Methodist  preacher  ;  but  rejoice  to  think,  that  an 
infinitely  wise,  and  good  God,  counted  me  worthy  of  such 
an  honour.  Of  many  things  in  my  life,  I  have  to  repent, 
and  had  1  the  power,  they  should  quickly  be  undone.  But 
if  1  were  to  live  over  my  days,  and  had  my  choice  again,  I 
would  take  with  gladness,  the  same  course  again.  For  not- 
withstanding it  gives  no  promise  of  earthly  wealth,  or  hon- 
our ;  it  does  afford  to  the  faithful  servant,  present  peace, 
and  consolation,  that  earth  can  never  give,  with  a  fair  pros- 
pect of  the  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that 
fadeth  not  away.  It  is  in  this  good  cause  1  hope  yet  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  my  days,  be  they   many  or  few. 

It  may  have  been  observed,  that  I  have  said  but  little 
about  the  preachers,  or  even  such  as  have  been  my  col- 
leagues; with  whom  1  have  laboured  side  by  side.  One 
reason  for  this  is,  I  could  not  always  recollect  who  my  col- 
leagues were ;  and  secondly,  it  would  have  taken  more 
time  and  space,  than  would  comport  with  my  present  de, 
sign,  to  mention  each  one  separately.  And  I  think,  that^ 
a  few  general  remarks  would  be  best.  It  gives  me  plea- 
sure to  call  to  recollection  my  connection  and  intercourse 
with  the  servants  of  God,  with  whom  I  have  laboured  in 
word  and  doctrine.    A  more  disinterested,  God-fearing,  an4 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  359 

tipright  set  of  men,  I  think,  cannot  be  found  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth.  I  have  lived,  laboured,  and  suffered  with 
them  for  many  years,  in  the  enjoyment,  so  far  as  I  know, 
of  their  confidence,  and  approbation,  without  one  solitary 
enemy  or  difficulty.  And,  as  to  my  colleagues,  we  have  al- 
ways laboured  together  in  peace  and  harmony,  and  I  be- 
lieve, loved  one  another  as  we  should  have  done.  Bless 
the  Lord  0  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me  bless  his  ho- 
ly name,  for  all  his  benefits  conferred  upon  me. 

I  have  travelled  thousands  of  miles,  over  hills  and 
mountains,  as  well  as  through  pleasant  valleys,  on  horse- 
back, and  in  almost  every  kind  of  conveyance,  sometimes 
with,  but  mostly  without,  my  family ;  and  yet,  such  has 
been  the  kind  providence  of  God  over  me,  I  never  had  one 
solitary  accident  by  which  I,  or  any  of  mine,  have  been  in- 
jured. I  have  preached  many  thousand  sermons,  and  re- 
ceived, in  connection  with  my  worthy  colleagues,  many 
thousands  of  precious  souls,  into  the  bosom  of  the  church; 
many  of  whom  have  proved  faithful  and  have  long  since 
gone  home  to  their  rest  in  heaven  ;  while  many  others  are 
still  striving  to  make  their  calling  and  election  sure.  May 
the  Lord  help  them  to  be  faithful  unto  the  end. 

In  the  course  of  my  ministry  I  have  also  attended  many 
prayer  meetings,  and  class-meetings,  which  are  among  the 
most  precious  means  of  grace  amongst  us.  And  one  thing 
I  have  always  observed,  that  wherever,  the  members  of  the 
church  were  diligent  in  these,  they  were  sure  to  prosper,  no 
matter  who  was  their  preacher ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
where  these  were  neglected,  there  was  a  want  of  spir- 
itual enjoyment  to  agreater  or  less  degree,  no  mat- 
ter how  powerful  the  pulpit  exercises  might  be.  God  will 
bless  the  diligent  and  faithful  soul,  while  he  will  suffer  the 
sluggard  to  pine  in  want.  I  have  also  attended  many  camp- 
meetings;  and  have  found  that  God  has  made  them  a  great 


360  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

blessing  in  carrying  on  his  holy  work.      I  know  that  some 
persons  are  very  much  opposed  to  this  kind   of    meetings  ; 
and  because  many  wicked  persons  attend  them,  and  find  a 
fair  opportunity  to  engage  in  many  of  their  wicked  practi- 
ces, and  thereby  abuse  the  precious  opportunities  afforded 
them  of  getting  good;  they  conclude  that,  they  have  suffi- 
cient   reason    for    condemning  them    altogether.     Is  this 
more  reasonable,  than  it  would  be,  to  condemn  all  relig- 
ious assemblies,  because  they  have  been,  and  still  may  be, 
abused  ?     The  people  who  act  so  wickedly  at  camp-meet- 
ing, are  equally  as  wicked  in  heart  at  home  ;  but  in  their 
own  native  darkness,  and  obscurity,  they  are  not  seen,  as 
when  they  come  into  the  light  of  the  gospel  as  it  is  dis- 
played, in  the  midst  of  worshipping  assemblies.     And  in- 
asmuch as  such  meetings  are  intended  for  the  general  good, 
and  all  possible  pains  are  taken  to  preserve  good  order  and 
benefit  the  community,  they  cannot  in  truth  be  blamed  for 
the  wickedness,  of  the  shameless  wicked  that  attend  them, 
in  common  wtth  others.     I  can  but  be  in  favour  of  camp- 
meetings,  upon  the  whole,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  them. 
They  have  many  advantages  over  ordinary  meetings  ;  one 
of  which  is  their  novelty,  that  calls  together  such  vast   as- 
semblies of  people,  many  of  whom  seldom  ever  attend  di- 
vine service  any  where  else.     But  the  great  advantage  is, 
the  people  leave  their  homes,  and  worldly  concerns,  and  re- 
pair to  such  meetings,  to  stay  for  several  days  and  nights 
together,  with  an  opportunity  of  being  constantly  engaged 
in  divine  service.     Their  cares  of  earth,  are  gradually  worn 
away  ;  and  stroke  after  stroke,  is  given,  by  the  gospel  word, 
until  lasting  impression  is  made,  that  eventuates  in  sound 
conversion.       Again  at   such   meetings,    God's    children, 
come  together  from  distant  parts,  and  are  not  only  permit- 
ted to  see  each  other's  faces  here, but  to  become  acquainted 
and  hold  sweet  christian  communion   together ;   thereb^^s 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  361 

strengthening  each  other's  hands,  in  the  work  of  faith,  and 
iabour  of  love.  But  the  greatest  reason  of  all  is,  God  in  in- 
finite mercy  does,  by  the  out-pouring  of  his  holy  spirit, 
sanction  the  efforts  of  his  people  at  camp-meetings,  to  the 
salvation  of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  precious  immortal 
souls. 

Although  I  have  said  little  about  my  privations  and  suf- 
ferings, 1  have  suffered,  to  some  extent,  in  common  with  . 
my  brethren;  as  may  be  readily  expected.  1  have  had  to 
leave  behind  me  frequently,  my  dearest  earthly  friends ; 
and  thus  suffer  the  privation  of  the  greatest  earthly  good. 
I  have  also  had  to  endure,  the  peltings  of  the  winter's  storm, 
and  the  scorchings  of  the  summer's  sun:  with  long  and  fa- 
tiguing journeys,  and  many  other  things  incident  to  a  trav- 
eling preacher's  life.  But  after  all,  they  are  not  worthy  to 
be  compared  to  the  blessings  and  privileges,  I  have  enjoy- 
ed in  the  service  of  God.  1  have  had  health  and  friends, 
and  where  to  lay  my  weary  head  ;  and  above  all,  the  bles* 
sing  of  God  to  attend,  and  make  effectual,  his  gospel  pro- 
claimed by  me.  So  that  I  may  fairly  conclude,  I  have  been 
more  than  repaid  for  all  I  have  suffered.  Hence,  should  1  be 
so  happy  as  to  get  home  to  heaven  at  last,  it  will  not  be 
on  the  ground  of  merit,  for  any  thing  I  have  suffered  or 
done  ;  but  through  the  mere  mercy  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus, 
who  suffered  and  died  that  I  might  live  ;  so  that  the  top- 
stone  of  my  salvation  will  be  brought  up  shouting  Grace 
Grace  unto  it.  In  looking  back  upon  my  life,  and  in  ta- 
king into  view  all  that  1  have  done  and  suffered  for  Christ's 
sake,  I  find  I  would  not  trust  my  salvation,  to  my  bes  tpray- 
er,  my  best  sermon,  or  my  best  act  of  benevolence  ;  or  all 
together,  for  ten  thousand  worlds.  All  my  hope  of  future 
bliss  is  that,  Jesus  died  for  sinners  ;  Jesus  died  for  me. 
His  blood  and  righteousness.  1  make  my  only  plea  ;  and  my 
rejoicing  is,  that  this  is  my  all  sufficient,  and  availing  plea. 
46 


362  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

If  any  one  should  wish  to  know  my  creed,  it  will  be 
found  in  the  Discipline  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
1  fully,  and  heartily,  believe  her  doctrines  and  discipline, 
to  be  truly  scriptural ;  and  as  she  has  done  every  thing  for 
me  under  God,  I  should  be  an  ungrateful  son,  not  to  ac- 
knowledge her  as  my  mother.  1  do  love  her  in  my  heart; 
and  in  her  bosom  I  hope  to  live  and  die. 
:  But  after  all,  I  never  could  find  it  necessary  to  live  in 
contention  with  other  branches  of  the  church,  or  brethren 
of  other  denominations;  because  they  could  not  see  with 
my  eyes,  or  hear  with  my  ears.  I  have  ever  esteemed  it 
my  duty  to  love  them  as  brethren,  and  sisters  of  the  same 
great  family;  having  one  God  and  Saviour,  and  the  same 
heaven  and  glory  in  view.  Bigotry,  I  hate  as  one  of  the 
meanest  imps  of  hell;  having  done,  in  my  estimation,  more 
harm  to  Christianity,  than  infidelity  itself ;  and  I  [am  glad, 
that  I  have  felt  but  little  of  its  unhallowed  influence  at  any 
period  of  my  life.  And  I  do  hope  and  pray  that  it  may,  with 
all  its  pretended  zeal  for  God,  be  speedily  driven  from  the 
face  of  the  earth.  I  think  I  can  say  tiuly,  I  have  striven  to 
live  in  peace  with  all  men,  and  especially  with  all  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  And,  when  in  the  sacred  pulpit,  I  have  found 
enough  to  do  to  piea.ch  Christ  and  him  crucified:  without 
going  out  of  the  way  to  find  fault  with  others,  so  as  to  wound 
their  feelings.  Indeed,  in  so  doing,such  have  ever  been]my 
views,  that  I  should  have  wounded  my  own  heart  more  than 
theirs.  1  hope  the  time  will  speedily  come,  when  all  tha 
chiistian  world  will  see  and  feel,  as  1  have  long  since  seen 
and  felt,  that  it  is  our  duty  and  glory,  to  promote  the  inter- 
est of  the  whole  christian  church,  in  all  her  branches.  May 
God  hasten  the  time  for  his  great  name's  sake.  Amen  and 
Amen. 

But,  one  might  ask,  how  will  this  comport  with  what  has 
be,en  said  in  this  work,  of  Catholics  and  high-churchmen, 


AUTHOR'S  LIFE  363 

SO  called  ?  To  which  it  may  be  answered,  exceedingly 
well ;  as  nothing  has  been  said  against  them  as  christians, 
or  because  they  have  a  different  name  ;  or  with  any  inten- 
tion to  misrepresent  their  conduct  or  wound  their  feelings. 
Every  thing  of  this  kind,  has  been  far  from  our  design: 
which  has  always  been  to  expose  the  errors  into  which  they 
have  fallen — for  these,  if  persisted  in,  will  not  only  be  inju- 
rious to  mankind  in  general,  but  to  themselves  in  particular, 
— and,  therefore,  cannot  be  considered,  in  truth,  in  any 
other  light  than  that  of  Christian  kindness.  Is  it  not  writ- 
ten, •'  Let  the  righteous  smite  me,  and  it  shall  be  his 
kindness"? 

Who  would  be  considered  the  best  friend?  he  who  w^ould 
use  all  possible  means,  although  some  mi^ht  be  rough  ones, 
to  pull  his  neighbor  out  of  the  fire  ?  or  he  who  w^ould  ne- 
glect him  altogether,  if  a  soft  whisper  would  not  suffice, 
and  thus  let  him  perish,  through  false  delicacy  ?  Or  which 
would  be  thought  the  best  and  kindest  physician?  one  who 
would  promptly  and  kindly  amputate  the  incurable  limb, 
and  thereby  save  the  life  of  the  patient  ?  or  he,  who,  for 
fear  of  givirig  pain,  would  refuse  to  do  so,  and  suffer  him 
to  die  ?  Or  yet,  once  more  we  would  ask,  who  would  be 
considered  the  best  Christian,  or  the  one  who  patterned 
most  after  his  Master?  he  who  would  suffer  sin  upon  his 
neighbor,  that  might  ruin  his  soul  ?  or  he  who  would 
sharply  yet  kindly,  rebuke  and  warn  him,  so  that  he  might 
be  saved?  And  here  let  it  be  recollected,  that  it  has  not 
been  some  small  matter,  or  venial  sin,  that  might  have 
been  passed  by  with  impunity  ;  but  the  root,  or  foundation 
of  all  the  fearful  authority  assumed  by  the  Roman  Pontiffs, 
by  which  they  have  done  so  much  evil  to  mankind  in  gene- 
ral, and  the  Church  in  particular,  that  I  have  been  striking 
at.  In  kindness,  then,  to  the  Catholic  Church,  as  well  as 
to  all  others,  I  have  labored  to  put  down  this  error. 


1* 


364  '   A.  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  LIFE/.      * 

The  name  with  me  is  nothing.  Show  me  the  Christian, 
and  he  is  at  once  dear  to  my  heart;  no  matter  to  what  de- 
nomination he  belongs.  Indeed,  I  m>iy  speak  plainly  ;  for 
it  is  true,  while  1  hate  the  doctrine  of  uninterrupted  Apos, 
tolic  Succession,  with  its  necessary  concomitants,  I  love, 
and  cherish  in  my  recollection,  the  names  of  some  high- 
churchmen  and  catholics  ;  who  have,  notwithstanding  their 
erroneous  views  about  succession,  &c.,  manifested  to  the 
world  their  sincerity  as  christians.  I  love  God  and  all  man- 
kind ;  and  my  worst  wish  fof  my  bitterest  enemy — if  I  have 
one— is,  that  God  may  make  him  a  partUker  of  like  precious 
faith  with  His  saints. 

I  embracedlhe  religion  of  Christ,  as  it  may  have  been 
noticed,  in>€arly  life.  And,  for  this,  I  have  never  repented 
one  morAent.  It  has  preserved  me  from  ten  thousand 
snares,  and  afforded  me  safiety,  joy,  and  comfort,  not  to  be 
found  any  where  else.  I  have  ever  found  her  ways  to  be 
ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  to  be  peace.  And 
now,  after  about  forty  years'  experience,  and  close_observa- 
tion  of  the  lives,  conversation,  and  death  of  many  of  God's 
children,  I  am  fully  prepared  to  say,  Jesus  is  the  Christ ; 
religion  is  no  cunningly  devised  fable ;  but  a  blessed  real- 
ity; that  it  is  all  the  Bible  sets  it  forth  to  be,  pure,  holy, 
just  and  good  ;  the  very  thing  that  will,  and  that  alone  can, 
sustain  us  in  the  trying  hour  of  death.  May  God  help  me 
to  be  faithful  ;  that,  after  all,  I  may  be  able  to  shout,  with 
my  expiring  breath,  **  0  death  where  is  thy  sting,  0  grave 
where  is  thy  victory  !"     AmeUj  Amen. 


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Theoiogical   Seminary^Speer  Library 


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